A Hatred That Will Never Bloom Into Friendship
by anime-novel-lover
Summary: "Why do you hate Sasuke so much?" he asks me. "Because he is a pompous bastard who looks down on everyone else," I retort. "That's true, but it seems like more than that." I sigh, infuriated. No, it wasn't more than that. I just simply hated that Uchiha.
1. Chapter 1

_This story follows the Naruto storyline, but is centered on the life of Kimina Fujimaru, who is a Konaha Academy student. Her, along with her two teammates Lloyd Yukohama and Rakuyo Sesetsu, will go through life changing journeys and as they make new friends and new enemies. These three original characters go through tragedies, death, heartache, and their personalities keep them bickering amongst each other. Lloyd is bold, daring, good-looking with sandy brown hair and green eyes, and never backs down from anything. He's loud and always wants his opinion to be heard on everything. But there is also a more deeper and softer side to his cocky attitude. Rakuyo has white hair and blue eyes, shy, quiet, and keeps himself isolated from the rest of the world; but there is a reason to why he keeps to himself. And Kimina is sweet, motherly, confident in her own way, with long dark hair and purple eyes, and above all kind... except there is one person she detests, and that's Sasuke Uchiha. Follow these three characters stories and I guarantee you'll fall in love with them. *****_

"Bye, mom! I'm off to the Academy," I yell over my shoulder, making my way down the wooden stairs to the front door.

"Alright, Kimina! Good luck on your final exam today!" I hear her reply from the kitchen.

"Thanks, mom! I'll need it!" I open the door and walk outside out onto the road. The light breeze of the wind softly hits my face, as I look up at the bright blue sky and the bright shining sun above. Sigh. Perfect. Not a cloud in the sky.

"Looks like it's going to be another nice day," I say aloud, stumbling my way through the bustling crowds to the Ninja Academy.

"Hey! I want to seat next to Sasuke!"

"No! I do! I want to seat next to Sasuke!"

_'Man, here we go again. Whatever those girl's see in that jerk-faced loser, I'll never know,'_ I think with a small chuckle. I shake myself of my thoughts, and slide the door open and walk into the classroom.

I look around the room at the same scene that occurs every morning. A huge group of girls surrounding the most infamous stuck-up boy a person would ever meet; Sasuke Uchiha. Naruto was trying to get some of the girl's attention, but failing miserably. Kiba and Lloyd battling it out in small contests, to see who the best was. Shikamaru watching them lazily, along with Chouji who was eating a bag of chips. Hah, that never fails. And Rakuyo was sitting in his usually corner away from the crowds. My gaze lingers on him until I hear a soft voice whisper my name.

"Hmm? Oh, hey, Hinata!" I exclaim happily, spotting her sitting right in the front row. I begin to walk over to her, but Kiba Inuzuka and Lloyd Yukohama stop me short.

"Hey, Kimina. You ready for the final exam today?" Kiba asks me, smirking.

"Yeah, of course I am! I've been practicing all week for this!" I answer his cocky smirk with my confident grin.

"Yeah, me too! Even though I didn't really have to. I mean, I'm already a natural at being a ninja!" Lloyd nods his head matter-of-factly.

I roll my eyes dramatically. "Pfft. Yeah, right Lloyd. I bet you don't even know the basic meaning of being a Leaf shinobi,"

"I do too! Just you wait! I'm gonna' past this exam with flying colors! Then I'll become a great ninja!" he exclaims boastly.

"Yeah, we'll see about that. Just don't let it fill up your head too much... don't want you to get too disappointed," I state sarcastically. I walk away then with a broad smile, leaving Lloyd glaring after me.

"Hey, Hinata," I say, sitting down on the chair next to her.

"Oh. Hi... Kimina," she replies, smiling slightly. I smile back at her, and then look over to the group of girl's standing across from me, completely and literally drooling over the black-haired loser.

"Yep... I'll never know," I mutter annoyed.

"Hmm? Did... did you say something?" Hinata asks me kindly.

"Oh... no I didn't. Just me talking to myself, is all!" I shake my head wildly, my black hair hitting me across the face.

"Oh. So... so... are you ready for the exam today?" she asks a bit shyly. I notice her cheeks were a bit flushed.

"Yeah, I am! I'm kinda psyched actually! And you?" I question her back.

"Uhhh... yes... I am. Oh!" Hinata turns her face from me, blushing.

"Hmmm? Hinata? What's the matter?" I ask surprised, bewildered by her sudden change of mind. I then look to the other side of me and see a bright color of orange, and a mess of yellow hair. Naruto. Now I understood why Hinata was acting the way she was.

"Hey, Kimina! How are you?" he asks happily.

_'Oh, Hinata.'_I glance back at her. "I'm doing fine, Naruto. And you?"

"Hehe. I'm doing fine too!"

"That's good to hear. So, are you ready for the exam today?" I inquire him. At just that exact moment, the whole room seemed to have just frozen. "Uhh... Naruto? Are you okay? I'm..."

"WHAT?" Naruto screams at the top of his lungs, almost making me fall out of my chair.

"Naruto? What's wrong?" I ask, completely surprised by his outburst.

"What do you mean an exam today? I didn't know about any exam!" he proclaims, obviously freaking out.

"What are you talking about you didn't know? Iruka sensei told us ahead of time that we would be having our final exam today," I tell him with a confused face. "I mean, you were here when he said it... so I don't get how you don't know."

"I must have been sleeping or something! Oh, man! This is bad, bad, bad!"

"Alright, class. Please take your seats," Iruka sensei says from the front of the class.

Everyone bustles around the room to take a seat, and I sigh out in relief that the arguing of the girl's had finally ceased. And it looked like that Sakura had won all the bickering, for she sat victoriously beside Sasuke.

"Hey, Iruka sensei! Are we really taking our final exams today!" Naruto shouts loudly, still standing beside me.

"Yes, Naruto. We are. If you spend more time paying attention and less time pulling pranks and sleeping in class... then you would have known that. Now, please take your seat," Iruka-sensei tells him hurriedly. Naruto walks lazily to the seat behind me and plops down angrily in the chair. He places his elbow on the desk and rests his head on his hand; staring out in front of him frustrated.

"Hmph. Loser..." the jerk-faced Uchiha says lowly to himself.

I close my eyes, trying desperately not to reply to his rude comment, but my mouth betrays me. "What did you say?" I demand, looking at the Uchiha sitting across from me. He merely glances over in my direction, with the same emotionless expression on his face.

"Hmm?" Naruto says, getting out of his frustrated daze. He glances back and forth between Sasuke and me, along with half of the class.

"What did you say about Naruto?" I ask again, grabbing out a kunai knife from my weapon pouch.

Sasuke looks at the kunai in my hand and says, "Just put that thing away. It's not like your gonna' do anything with it."

"What did you say? I'm not gonna' do anything with it?" I repeat him, gripping the knife harder in my hand. I stand up, prepared to do anything; even prepared to fight. Now in reality, I knew I was making a fool of myself, but that didn't matter. Nothing did when it came to this jerk; anything he said made my blood boil over, especially when one of his slick remarks was about one of my friends.

"That's enough, Kimina!" Iruka-sensei yells at me. He throws a kunai knife of his own at mine; knocking it out of my hand. Iruka sensei's kunai then lands directly in front of Naruto on his desk.

"Aah!" Naruto screams, falling down onto the floor out of his chair. The whole class bursts out laughing at Naruto's embarrassing predicament. "Oh, man. That was scary..." The kunai knife that was knocked out of my hand, then lands and hits him dead on the head. "Ow!" He falls back to the floor.

"Naruto..." I say softly.

"Kimina! Why is it that every day I have to stop you from trying to fight Sasuke?" Iruka sensei asks with a perplexed face.

"That's because I am tired of him always bringing down Naruto's self-esteem and ridiculing him for everything!" I exclaim, glaring at Sasuke.

"Humph. It's not like any of it is a lie. He's a hopeless loser..." Sasuke says, his eyes fixated on the front of the room.

"What did you say, Sasuke?" Naruto yells, finally standing up from the kunai incident moments before.

_'Oh, boy. I wonder if these kids will ever make it to becoming chuunin. Or even to becoming genin, at that,'_Iruka sensei thinks to himself.

"Man... this is such a drag. Why don't they just sit down and shut-up already," Shikamaru says to himself, sighing out heavily.

"Humph… I don't even know why you ask that. You know how Kimina gets with Sasuke. This happens almost every class," Lloyd answers Shikamaru with a sigh of his own.

"Alright, we're already a bit behind schedule for the final exams" -Iruka sensei begins- "so, I'll call on the first person who will be taking their exam. And that person is... Kimina Fujimaru."

"Seriously? I'm going first?" I question, a bit nervous.

"Yes, you are. Now, follow me."

"Good luck... Kimina," Hinata says warmly.

"Thanks..." I reply, with a nervous smile.

"You'll do fine, Kimina!" Naruto says, giving me a thumbs-up.

"Yeah, thanks Naruto."

"Hey, good luck! You'll need it!" Kiba says, a broad smile on his face. I smile back at him, following Iruka sensei out of the classroom.

"You nervous?" Iruka sensei asks me.

"A bit." I take a deep breath.

"Don't be. You'll do fine. You one of the top students of the class... along with Sasuke," he says with a sure smile. I look at Iruka sensei, a little angrily because of how he compared me to Sasuke. But that feeling goes away just as quickly as it came, when we make it to the testing room. I take a deep breath and follow Iruka sensei inside.


	2. Chapter 2

"Shadow clone jutsu!" Four exact clones of myself poof into sight, with two on each side of me.

"Nice work, Kimina. You were able to produce four solid clones. With the same appearance... and you also have divided your chakra among them equally," Iruka-sensei tells me proudly.

"Yes. It seems that you have a knack for shadow clones. Very nice work indeed," the other chuunin in the room says; Mizuki Touji.

"Thank you!" each of my clones, and also I reply.

"Well, there's only one thing left to say... you pass! Kimina, you are now a full-fledged genin of the Hidden Leaf village!" Iruka says to me smiling. He lifts one of the many Leaf Shinobi headbands that were placed neatly on the desk, and extends it out to me.

I didn't move to take it from him. I was stunned. "What? I... I past? Yes! I past!" I exclaim happily, punching my fist into the air, my moment of shock over. "Yes!"

_'Such enthusiasm. Yes. I believe that you will go far, Kimina, in becoming a true shinobi of this village,'_ Iruka thinks to himself.

I walk up to the desk, where the two chuunin were sitting, and take the headband with gratification and a warm smile.

"Take the headband with pride, Kimina. You truly have earned it," Mizuki states with a nod of his head.

"Yes, I will. Thank you both," I reply, my heart slightly racing from the excitement.

"Yes, thank you both!" the four of my clones exclaim, before disappearing out of sight. *****

"Oh, Kimina! I'm so proud of you for passing your examination!" My mother nearly suffocates me from the grip of her hug, clearly happy about me passing my exam. She finally lets me go after five minutes (well not really, but it felt like it) and admires the Leaf headband tied around my neck.

"...Mom?" I ask tentatively.

"Yes..." she says, sitting down at the kitchen table, still looking at my headband.

"Do... do you think that father would've been proud of me?" I ask, looking away from her questioning brown eyes as her eyes finally lock with mine.

"What are you saying? Of course he would be. Don't you ever think that he wouldn't ever be proud of you. Understand me?" She stands up, and puts her hands on both my shoulders.

"Yes. I'm... I'm sorry for asking such a question," I reply glumly, gazing past her at my father's picture over the fireplace.

"So did Hinata also pass on her exam?" my mother asks, trying to change the conversation.

It worked. "Yeah, she did! Just like me! Everyone past their exams, actually! Well... I just don't know about one person though," I sigh out heavily.

"And who might that be, Kimina?" she inquires, looking at me a little confused.

"Well, he was the last one to take his examination. I would've stayed... but you wanted me back home. Um... Naruto Uzumaki," I was skeptical about telling her, but I did. And I immediately regretted it. I notice her change of attitude as I said his name. Her expression became sullen, and I could see a hint of malice in her eyes. I knew that would happen.

"Oh. Well, I'm sure that he did fine. Anyway, I want you to go out and get these things for dinner tonight," she explains, handing me a list of ingredients.

"Right. I'll be back in a bit," I tell her, taking the list from her hands, wanting to get some fresh air. *****

"Um... lettuce, check. Celery, check. Lemons, check. Paprika, check. And basil... check. Looks like I got everything!" I mentally mark off all the items on the list.

"Why is that boy sitting up there on the roof?" a woman walking pass me asks her partner.

"I don't know. Just hope he's not thinking of pulling any pranks... stupid boy," he replies to her.

"What?" I say lowly, gazing up to where the couple was referring. I spot, way atop of the tallest building, two pairs of orange legs dangling over one of the balconies. "Naruto? What is he doing up there?" *****

"Hello, Naruto," I say happily, sitting down beside him.

"Oh... hey Kimina," he replies, a saddening expression on his face. I smile cheerfully, not noticing his gloomy mood.

"Sure is a nice view up here, huh?" I stare interestingly at the setting sun ahead.

"Yeah, it is..." he answers, discouraged.

"Hmm? Naruto, are you okay?" I question abruptly. Naruto glances over at my headband tied around my neck. I look closely at his body and notice that he did not have a Leaf headband nowhere on him. I bite my bottom lip, and look sadly away from his face.

"You... you didn't pass, did you?" I already knew the answer to it, and I shudder at his next words.

"So, you finally noticed, huh?" he says, with a small laugh.

"Oh, Naruto. I blame myself. I should've reminded you before today about the exams. I..." I trail off, not knowing what else to say.

"No. It's not your fault. I wouldn't have passed anyway if you had told me. The Shadow clone jutsu technique... I just can't master it. This is my third time failing this exam! Why can't I do this!" Naruto yells at himself.

"Naruto, please... don't beat yourself up over this. I mean... you'll find your strength someday. I guarantee that. And I bet that Iruka-sensei did want to pass you, Naruto. But..." my voice trails off yet again. I just didn't know what to say in this situation.

"Then why didn't he?" Naruto remarks sharply.

"Well, well, well. Someone is in a foul mood today," a voice says behind the both of us. I turn around and see the other chuunin that was at my examination; Mizuki. He wore a sneer on his face, but as I looked directly at him he changed his expression completely; almost evil it seemed to a kind smile.

"Oh. Hello, Kimina. I was wondering if I could speak to Naruto... alone?" he tells me genially.

"Uhhh... sure. Anyway, I have to be getting back on home. See you around Naruto," I say, not looking at him, not wanting to see the sadness in his eyes.

"...Yeah. See you later."


	3. Chapter 3

I walk into the classroom with a saddening and tiring expression. I look around the room, with uninterested eyes, knowing that he was not going to be here.

"Hey. What's wrong with you, Kimina?" Shikamaru walks up to me, and leans against the wall adjacent to the door I just came in at.

"I... I just didn't get that much sleep last night. I was up all night worrying about Naruto because he failed his exam yesterday," I reply truthfully.

"Hmm? What are you talking about? Naruto's over there..." Shikamaru points across the room. I look over in the direction of where he was aiming, and see Naruto sitting down literally grinning from ear to ear.

"What? But... he had failed his exam. Why is he here?" I question Shikamaru, totally bewildered.

"Your guess is as good as mine. Yeah, I heard that Naruto had failed also. But there he is... bragging and showing off his Leaf shinobi headband," he explains irritably. And just as Shikamaru said, I see the Leaf headband strapped tightly around Naruto's head.

_'I guess you past your exam, after all. And you got the headband to prove it. Looks like I'm gonna' have to work even harder now... if I'm going to have any chance of keeping up with you,' _I think to myself, with a sure nod of my head.

"Hmmm? Oh boy, what is he doing?" Shikamaru asks himself. I look over at Naruto and see him sitting down in front of Sasuke on his desk; staring at him at eye level. Moments later, my stomach does a flip when I see Naruto crash his lips onto Sasuke's.

"Oh my God!" I say aloud in shock.

"Aaahhhh! Naruto! You're gonna' pay for that! You hear me?" Sakura practically yells, cracking her knuckles with every word.

"Sakura! I'm sorry! It was an accident!" Naruto apologizes.

_'Oh boy. This doesn't look pretty,'_ I think, sighing mentally.

"Sakura... hey! Wait! Nooo!" Naruto screams, as each of the girls pumble him to the ground. ***** 

I turn around in my seat, and look at Naruto who was sitting in the row directly diagonally from me. "Hey, Naruto. You okay?" I cringe at the sight of the purple-black bruises covering his face.

"Yeah... never better..." He sniffs his nose. Poor Naruto.

"Alright, class. You all know what we will be doing today. Today, you will be assigned to you squads. You will all be placed with a group of three, where you will execute missions under the supervision of a jounin teacher," Iruka-sensei says from the front of the room.

"Humph. Alright. A group of three, huh? I've been waiting for this. This is going to be so exciting!" I proclaim gleefully.

"Who... who do you think will be with you in your squad?" Hinata asks me politely.

"I don't know. I don't mind either..." I reply with a smile. _'Just as long I'm not in a squad with Sasuke. I'll kill myself… or him.'_

"Alright. Now for squad seven. This squad consists of Naruto Uzumaki..."

"Huh?" Naruto and I both say.

"Sakura Haruno..."

"Yay!" I hear Naruto yell joyfully. Hinata and I both sigh out unhappily.

"And Sasuke Uchiha," Iruka-sensei finishes.

"What?" My eyes widen at that last name.

"Hey, Iruka-sensei! Why do I have to get stuck with a bastard block-head like Sasuke?" Naruto asks, obviously angry on whose team he was with. So was I.

"Because Naruto, Sasuke is the best student in this class. And you're the worst student in this class. So, being picked to be on each other's team was only logical," Iruka explains with an annoyed face.

"Just be sure that you keep your distance and not get in my way, loser..." Sasuke says to Naruto bluntly.

"What did you say?" Naruto yells in reply. I only glare at Sasuke's comment; clenching my teeth in anger.

_'Oh man. Not again,'_ Iruka says to himself.

"Oh boy… here we go again," I hear Shikamaru sigh aloud.

"Naruto... just sit down," Sakura tells him, without even looking at his face. Naruto opens his mouth, clearly wanting to say more, but then obediently takes his seat. Sasuke glances over in my direction and sees me still glaring at him. He merely glares back at me, which boiled me up even more inside.

"Kimina! What are you doing?" Iruka yells at me, watching me jump out of my seat. I leap on top of the desk where Sasuke was sitting; ready to punch him dead in his face. Sakura gasps, along with the rest of the girls. But before I could lay a single finger on him, Iruka-sensei grabs me by the collar of my green kimono and drags me off the desk, and back to my seat.

"Why did you do that?" I ask Iruka-sensei furiously.

"What is the matter with you, Kimina? You know that there is no fighting allowed on school property. Unless given privileged to by a teacher. And you know that," Iruka-sensei clarifies to me.

"But Iruka-sensei... he...!" Iruka-sensei interrupts me.

"I don't care what the circumstances were! Or if you had too... because you didn't! Now, can you control your anger long enough for me to announce the rest of the squads?" Iruka asks, calmness now in his voice.

"Yes, Iruka-sensei. I'm... I'm sorry," I say remorsefully.

"Alright... now for squad eight," Iruka begins, walking back to the front. "Hyuuga Hinata..." I look over at Hinata, also eager to hear who was also on her squad, apparently so was she. She sat more upright in her chair.

"Kiba Inuzuka... and Shino Aburame."

"Hmm. Not bad of a team, Hinata," I tell her honestly.

"Umm... yes I guess so. But..." Hinata says, glancing over at Naruto.

_'Oh, Hinata,'_ I think to myself smiling.

"Alright. For squad nine. Kimina Fujimaru..." Iruka-sensei begins to say.

"Hmm? What?" I ask, not really paying attention at the moment.

"Lloyd Yukohama..." Iruka-sensei continues.

"What? Oh, man. This isn't really turning out to be as excited as I had hoped," I sigh out disappointed.

"Humph. Whatever, Kimina! You know you're excited to be on the same team as me," Lloyd calls over to me. I answer with a groan.

"And also... Rakuyo Sesetsu," Iruka finishes.

"Hmm? Rakuyo?" I mutter, gazing over at the silver-haired boy sitting in his usually spot. _'I guess it won't be so bad with him. At least I'll be able to get to know him a little better.'_

"And lastly, squad ten. Ino Yamanaka... Shikamaru Nara-"

"Oh no!" Ino cries out.

"So... what was that about you not wanting to be on my squad?" Shikamaru asks her playfully.

"And Chouji Akimichi." Ino groans again.

"Alright, that's it for the squads. Now you are dismissed for now. And after lunch... you will report back here to meet your jounin teachers. Understand?" Iruka-sensei asks the whole class, with only getting a few responses back.

"Good luck with your team, Hinata. I'll see you later," I tell her with a sincere smile.

"Y-yes. And also to you... too," she replies kindly. I walk away from her and over to my group, who were both waiting for me at the door leading outside.

"Ready to go? I was thinking that we could just go to the park after we get a bite to eat," Lloyd suggests, but I notice it was only directed at me.

"Yeah, sure. That's fine with me. How about you Rakuyo?" I politely ask him. He looks at me, and I see in his eyes for a split second, hurt and confusion. But I quickly shake off the thought, as I realize that I was staring deeply at him. He only nods his head.

"Alright then. Let's go," Lloyd says, walking out the door, smiling only at me again. Rakuyo and I both follow him, and we head down to the cafe around the corner.


	4. Chapter 4

"See... told you Kimina. Told you that I was a natural at being a ninja," Lloyd says to me, regarding the headband tied around his forehead.

"Yeah, whatever Lloyd. Just because you have a headband doesn't prove anything. Remember, were just starting out as genin. Just like Iruka-sensei said, it's gonna' get much harder from here on out," I look out around us at the open field where we were sitting.

"Aww, man. You really know how to spoil someone's enthusiasm, you know that?" Lloyd bellows out sarcastically.

"I'm just being truthful. I mean, were a team now... so we have to help each other out in any way we can," I illustrate clearly, half true. Lloyd lies out on the grass, and gazes up blankly at the clouds overhead. He yawns tiredly, and I could hear the faint sound of his stomach growling.

"Your still hungry... even after you just ate something?" I ask, slightly amused.

"Of course I am. Aren't you? I mean... all you ate was a couple of dumplings. I just guess your on a diet just like that Sakura and that Ino girl," he says, still looking up at the clouds.

"No! Of course not! I would never go on a diet! Diets just aren't healthy in my opinion. I like to eat. I love food," I tell him sharply. And it was true. Food was my passion for living, besides being a ninja and helping others.

"Hmmm. You know, your the first girl I ever met who actually said that they like to eat. Personally, I find it more attracting when a girl eats her share of food... and not starve herself," he replies frankly.

"Yeah, you and a couple of other dudes I bet," I state simply.

"Yeah, your right. Especially when it comes to Sasuke," he says, the last part rather quickly. Lloyd hurriedly gets up from his lying position, thinking that I was going to punch him from his last comment. But I did nothing; actually I wasn't even paying attention to him at the time.

I was gazing over at Rakuyo, who was sitting away from the both of us underneath the shade of a giant oak tree. I look at him sadly, remembering the way his expression looked before we all left the Academy. Distant and heartbreaking,,,

"Don't even bother going over there to talk with him," Lloyd tells me plainly, taking me out of my reverie.

"Why? Why you say that?" I ask, a little confused.

"Because... if he wanted to talk with us, don't you think he'll be over here with us? Besides, we have to be getting back to the Academy right now," Lloyd says, standing up and dusting off his pants.

I look at Lloyd with a confused expression. What was up with him and his attitude towards Rakuyo? But I shake the thought off. "Yeah, fine. Hey, Rakuyo! It's time to go back!" I yell over to him. Rakuyo looks up in our direction, and simply nods his head again in response. He stands up and walks over to us, with his hands inside his pockets and his eyes averted from my own.

"Rakuyo..." I begin to say.

"Alright, let's head on back!" Lloyd says loudly, interrupting me. I glare at Lloyd, but shrug it off as I follow behind the two of them back to the Academy.

*******

"So... how long do you think we'll have to wait until our jounin sensei comes?" I ask both Rakuyo and Lloyd, sitting down in the nearest chair.

"Don't know. But looks like everyone is here," Lloyd replies, staring around at the usually faces. Rakuyo doesn't say anything, and just sits down in the chair next to me.

"Hey, there goes Naruto. And he doesn't look too good to me," Lloyd says aloud, trying not to laugh.

"What?" I gasp, spinning around in my chair to see what was going on. I spot Naruto immediately in the front of the room. To me, it seemed that he was clutching his stomach and looking particularly queasy. I get up abruptly and run over to his side, looking positively shocked at his condition.

"Naruto! What happened to you?" I demand, a tad mortified.

"I... I don't know. I think... I must've drunk or eaten something that was spoiled. Ohh... my stomach!" he moans out in pain.

I try to keep myself from laughing, and luckily accomplish it. "Oh, Naruto. You know, you really should read the labels before you drink or eat anything. Otherwise you wouldn't be in this mess," I tell him, relieved that nothing serious was wrong with him.

"Yeah. I just wish that you would have told me that earlier," he replies briskly.

I smile warmly at him, before looking back over to my team sitting at the back of the class. And I was glad that I did, because there was also a young woman standing along with them. Our sensei was finally here.

"I... I have to go Naruto. I'll see you later. Hope you feel better," I say to him, quickly walking over back to your group. I hear Naruto moan in reply.

"Well, hello there. So, is this all of squad nine?" the woman asks, as I walk up beside Lloyd.

"Yep. This is it," I reply briskly, gazing at our presumed sensei. She looked to be very young, but she was devastatingly beautiful. She had short brown hair, which matched her dark brown eyes. She wore a yellow kimono, with an orange ribbon tied around her waist. On her arms, she wore two bracelets on each side and green bandages were tied around her wrists and ankles. She was petite, about the height as me.

"Alright then. Follow me," she says to us all brusquely. She turns and heads for the door.

"Wait. Where are we going?" Lloyd questions doubtfully.

"Well... we could stay here, but I don't think that you would want to be here along with everyone else. We're going to go somewhere more peaceful... where we can talk. Unless, you prefer to stay here?" she inquires him, her eyes gleaming into his.

"No, no. That's fine. We can go," Lloyd responds hastily. I nod my head in agreement.

"Alright then. Let's go," she says, walking her way outside; with Lloyd, Rakuyo and I following closely behind her.


	5. Chapter 5

"Hey... where are we going again?" Lloyd asks me in a hushed whisper.

"Seriously, do you ever pay attention?" I ask back, gazing up at the clear blue sky, averting his eyes.

"Umm... I don't think that that was the answer to the question that I asked you," he states, with a playful smirk.

"Well, if you were paying attention at the time... then you wouldn't have to ask me," I reply sharply.

He looks at me blankly for a moment before replying, "So, are you gonna' answer my question or not?"

I sigh out in defeat. "We're going to our squad's training area in the northeast woods. For what? I don't know."

"Alright, you guys. Were here," Naria sensei tells us all, jumping into the trees on the left.

"But I guess were about to find out," I say lowly with Lloyd, Rakuyo, and I following after her. ******

Moments later, we come into a huge circle clearing. I land on the grass beside Rakuyo, and gaze around my surroundings.

"Over here," Naria sensei calls out. She slowly walks over to the center of the field, and sits down on the grass with an excited smile. My teammates and I all exchange glances before walking up to her.

"So, what exactly are we supposed to be doing?" I ask her, sitting down hesitantly opposite her.

"Well, today we will just be introducing ourselves. To get to know each other better as a squad," she answers simply.

"Oh. Well... this should be fun," Lloyd bellows out sarcastically, sitting down next to me. Rakuyo says nothing, and just sits down on the other side of me. I observe him the entire time he sits down, with sympathetic and sorrowful eyes.

"Alright. So, I guess I'll go first then. My name is Naria and I am from the Kuroda clan. I generally don't hate a lot of things, and I'm usually just an all around well-mannered person," she states with a smile.

"So, who wants to go next?"

_'Man is this really our sensei?'_ Lloyd thinks to himself, staring at her with a bored expression.

"I'll go," I propose, raising my hand.

"Alright. Just state your name, and a couple things about yourself," Naria-sensei suggests pleasantly.

"Okay. Well... my name is Kimina Fujimaru. I try to train whenever I can, and I always strive to do the best that I can. I like to help others, and I don't hate a lot of things," I finish saying, with a determined smile. _'Well, besides that loser Sasuke I don't hate a lot of things.'_

"Alright. My turn. My name is Lloyd Yukohama. I like to train and show people what I can do. I'm _usually_ a nice person, and I'm strong and also confident!" he says, all of it with a cocky expression. Oh boy…

"Good, good. Now... it's your turn," Naria says, turning to Rakuyo.

"Umm... my name is Rakuyo Sesetsu. And… I am very good in the art of strategy," he tentatively answers.

'Sesetsu? So... this is the boy?' Naria thinks to herself, with a saddening expression. She shakes herself of her distracting thoughts and announces lastly, "Good! It seems that you all have your own way of thinking and your own different techniques in the way of the shinobi. Now... we will be having our first mission tomorrow."

"What? Seriously? What will we be doing on this mission?" I inquire curiously.

"It will be a survival exercise... that all of us will participate in. We will meet here in this spot, tomorrow morning at eight o'clock. That will give you all plenty of time to get ready. Now... you are all dismissed. I will see you guys tomorrow!" she finishes explaining, with a bright smile.

"Alright then. Guess I'll be heading on home," Lloyd sighs out, standing up on his feet. Naria stands up also, and with a nod of agreement to Lloyd, disappears in a wind of leaves.

"Need help getting up?" Lloyd questions me, eyeing me still in my kneeled position.

"Yeah. Why not?" I answer back, reluctantly taking his hand.

"Umm... so Rakuyo? I..." I stop there, noticing that Rakuyo was not where he was before. "Where... where did he go? I didn't sense him leave or anything."

"So what if he left? No big deal in my opinion. Anyway, since we're all alone... I was thinking..." He trails off.

"You are such a pervert, you know that? I can't believe that you would even think about bringing something like that up," I interrupt him, morally disgusted.

"No, no, no, no! Nothing like that! I wouldn't try anything like that on you!" he replies quickly, shaking his head back and forth. "I was just gonna' say now that it's just you and me... how about we battle it out one on one?" His tone was serious.

"Are you for real? No. We have to keep our strength up for tomorrow's mission. Maybe some other time," I suggest, turning my back on him and taking a couple steps away.

"Hmmm. Yeah, I guess you're right. Well, I bet if I was Sasuke and I was asking you this... you'd probably jump at the chance in a heartbeat. I would understand if you would. I mean, if I wanted to be close to the person I admired... I would," Lloyd says, with an ominous smirk.

"What did you say? Admire? You gotta' be joking if you think that I would ever admire that stuck-up idiot!" I scream at him, turning back around towards him. I knew I fell right into his trap. But that didn't matter now.

"Yeah, of course I know that. But I had to get you riled up enough to want to fight me, now didn't I?" Lloyd replies, with a boastful smile.

"Humph. Yeah... and I guessed it worked too. Alright then... fine. I'll take you up on your challenge," I tell him smirking, while getting into a fighting stance.

"Humph. Alright. Now... get ready! And no holding back, understand?" Lloyd yells to me, also positioning himself in a fighting stance.

"Don't worry. I wasn't planning on to anyway," I reply, grabbing out a kunai knive from my weapon pouch.


	6. Chapter 6

Lloyd jumps into the air, and throws a kunai knife directly at me. I fling the kunai in my hand at his, canceling them both out. Lloyd lands and flips backwards, getting some fair distance between the two of us. I breathe out heavily. We've been going back and forth for a while now; someone had to give sooner or later.

I then make a hand sign and yell out, "Shadow clone jutsu!" Nine exact copies of myself appear around me, each with equally determined expressions.

"Hah. So, what do you plan to do now?" Lloyd asks me mockingly.

"You'll see," I reply boastfully, each of my clones charging at him. Lloyd stands his ground, ready for any assault. He takes out a kunai knife and stabs three of the nine clones easily. He stands upon his hands, and kicks the fourth and fifth one into the air, making them disappear out of sight. I stand back and observe the whole ordeal with relentless eyes. Lloyd then turns his back on me, trying to finish off the last of your clones.

_'There!'_ I exclaim, seeing an opening for me to attack.

"Huh?" Lloyd says, sensing my presence coming up behind him. He tries to dodge me, but is too slow to react in time. I punch him right in the face, sending him flying into the ground in the opposite direction.

"Looks like I got you," I braggingly pronounce, with the last remainder of my clones disappearing. "Hmm? What the...?" I gasp out, staring at the small log that took Lloyd's place on the ground.

"A substitution!" I scream out in shock. I turn around, but only to be sent soaring backwards by a well-armed punch from Lloyd.

"Looks like I'm the one who's got you," Lloyd states pretentiously. I sit up on your knees, and wipe the blood dripping down the side of my mouth, and look at Lloyd with a sense of unsettlement. I push myself up, and lean against the tree behind me.

_'I underestimated him. He's got more skill that I had thought. Even though he said no holding back... he did on that last hit. I doubt I'll be able to win here. But I won't give up that easily,'_ I close my eyes, trying to catch some of my breath.

Naria's P.O.V

I walk down the main road in the heart of the village, smiling at the crowds of people around me. I then glance behind me, sensing a familiar presence. "Hmm? What do you want?"

"Nothing. Just wanted to see how you were doing," he tells me with a sigh.

"I'm doing fine. What about you?" I also ask him.

"Can't complain, I guess," he answers lazily. "So, how was your team? Squad nine, isn't it?".

"Yes, it is. Kimina Fujimaru, Lloyd Yukohama, and Rakuyo Sesetsu. They seem to be very promising, I'll admit. But there appears to be some bad relations between two of the three," I clearly state.

"And who might that be?" he inquires interestingly.

"Lloyd Yukohama... and Rakuyo Sesetsu," I say simply, saying the last name more slowly.

"Rakuyo Sesetsu?" -he begins- "isn't that the boy who's...?"

"Yes. He's the one. I was kind of surprised myself when he said his name," I interrupt with a sigh. "So, what about your team?"

"My team? Well it consists of Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, and Sasuke Uchiha," Kakashi answers, gazing up at the sky.

"Hmm. So I see that the last remaining Uchiha is part of your team that you have to mentor. That should be very interesting." Even though I knew Kakashi could very well handle it.

"Yeah, probably. But I can already tell that this squad will need a lot of training and discipline. That is if they pass their exercise tomorrow. Naruto and Sasuke seem to already have a fractioned relationship between the both of them, just like the two of yours," Kakashi explains, with a straight face.

"Yes... my team as well. Tomorrow may be the beginning of their future or the end of their dreams." I remember those same words were said to me some time ago, and I shudder involuntarily.

"Yeah, your right. You know, you really have grown up," Kakashi compliments me.

"Why, thank you. It's all been thanks to the Third Hokage... and also to the Fourth as well," I say, remembering the times the Fourth and I trained together in the forest.

"But don't forget... you still are young. And you must remember the responsibilities that come with directing and teaching a squad that you are the sensei for," he explains clearly.

I roll my eyes playfully. "Yes, I understand. And I won't let you down. I promise," I reply with a sincere smile. Hopefully I could keep this promise.

End of Naria's P.O.V

"Fire style: Fire Ball justu!" I yell out, blowing out a gust of fire at Lloyd. He jumps into the air, and only gets burned slightly on his pants leg. He cringes a bit from the pain, but ignores it and makes a hand sign.

_'Humph. Time to try out my new jutsu,'_ he thinks with a smirk. "Ninja Art: Fog Concealment jutsu!"

At that moment, a fog-like substance begins to circulate around me; enabling me from seeing. _'What type of jutsu is this? And how is Lloyd able to summon something like this? This Yukohama clan certainly is something to look out for,'_ I think, coughing a little from the fog intake_. 'I can't see a thing. And this fog is starting to get to me. I need to get out of here now! If I'm not mistaken I think I am about thirteen paces away from the tree behind me.'_

I begin to walk backwards; in my mind counting how many steps I had taken. "11, 12... 13!" I continue, with my back hitting against the trunk of the tree. I leap upon the lowest branch and climb higher and higher; until I was on top of the foggy element. I look down below at my surroundings, trying to see if I could spot out where Lloyd may be. But it was nearly impossible to see anything down below me.

"Fire style: Fire Ball jutsu!" I hear my opponent scream. I then see an orange color forming in the fog. My eyes widen as that orange light turns into a massive amount of fire coming right towards me. With no time to react, the fire consumes my entire body.

Lloyd's P.O.V

I hear a faint scream, and sigh out tiredly. I smile to myself, and look to the side of me where a proud looking Kimina was standing. She puts a kunai knife to my throat and smirks victoriously.

End of Lloyd's P.O.V

"Looks like it's over," I state with a dignified expression, as the fog slowly clears away. "And I really can't believe you were really going to fry me."

"Don't worry… that fire attack was nearly great enough to kill you, let alone do any real damage," Lloyd says, with a smirk.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Still I wouldn't be saying anything in this position."

"Humph." The smirk was still on his face.

"What the…?" I gasp.


	7. Chapter 7

**JUST SO YOU KNOW… WHEN A PORTION OF THE STORY IS ITACLIZED IT'S A FLASHBACK THANKS**

"Are you really sure that's it over?" Lloyd asks me, with a perceptive look.

"What are you talking about? Of course it is," I reply certainly, gripping the kunai knife harder in my hand.

"Wouldn't be so sure about that," he proclaims bluntly.

"What the…?" I gasp surprisingly, as a kunai is held closely to my throat as well. I look behind me to see a triumphant looking Lloyd standing there.

"But... but... how did you?" I stammer at a loss for words, staring at him with broaden eyes.

"Hmph. You might want to take a closer look at the person you have your kunai held to," he tells me, with an industrious smirk. I do as he says, and glance over at the Lloyd positioned in front of me. My eyes widen even more as its body then starts to dissipate into the same foggy substance that Lloyd had cast earlier.

He notices my astonished expression, and with a positive smile says, "That's right. He was just a clone all along. After I cast that fog concealment justu, I made a clone of myself out of it. I then used my clone to cast that fire jutsu, while my real self hid in the trees... waiting for you to come out and take the bait. And it worked too. So looks like it's over for you."

"Yeah... looks like it is," I regrettably agree, putting the kunai back into your weapon pouch. 

'_He undoubtedly is strong and possesses talent. Maybe I was wrong for what I said about him.' ~~~_

_"Yeah, me too, even though I didn't really have to. I mean, I'm already a natural at being a ninja!" Lloyd says matter-of-factly._

_"Humph. Yeah, right Lloyd. I bet you don't even know the basic meaning of being a Leaf shinobi," I say, my arms crossed._

_"I do too! Just you wait! I'm gonna' past this exam with flying colors! Then I'll become a great ninja!" he exclaims boastly._

_"Yeah, we'll see about that. Just don't let it fill up your head too much... don't want you to get too disappointed," I state. ~~~_

"Hmm? Hey, Kimina? You okay?" Lloyd asks me, noticing that I was staring at him admiringly.

I shake my head back and forth twice. "No, I'm fine. I was just thinking about what I said to you... back at the Academy on the day of the graduation exam," I tell him in a discouraging tone.

"Oh, yeah. But what of it?" he questions, remembering the incident.

"I guess I was wrong about what I said. I believe that you do know what it means to be a shinobi," I say honestly.

"See... I told you that I did, didn't I?" he replies boastly. He smiles that big cocky grin of his.

I roll my eyes. "But you still need to work on your personality. A little too full of yourself if you ask me," I say to him, with a small giggle after wards.

"I don't see what's so funny about that. Anyway, you're really not that bad yourself," he says honestly.

"Thanks. But there are still a lot of things that I have to learn and work on. But..." I trail off, looking up at the sky.

"But what?" Lloyd asks, clearly wanting to know the answer.

"Nothing. It's nothing. We should be getting on home now. It's getting pretty late... and we need our strength for tomorrow's mission," I say, looking at Lloyd's immodest expression.

"Yeah, your right. We have to come prepared. Whatever it is we need to give it our all!" he exclaims, pumping his fist in the air.

"Right! Well, I'll see you then," I turn away from him walk away towards home.

"Yeah... see you," Lloyd says back, walking away in the opposite direction. ******

I walk out into my squad's training area, yawning tiredly from the lack of sleep that I received the previous night. Gazing around my surroundings, I spot a silhouette standing in the middle of the grounds. I slowly walk over to them, not fully aware of whom it might be.

"Rakuyo," I say, getting a full glimpse of my teammate. He turns around towards me, and smiles pleasantly.

"Hello Kimina. You look tired this morning," he notices, gazing at your exhausted expression.

"Yeah, you could say that I am. I guess I didn't get much sleep last night, because I was a little worried about today's mission," I reply with a faint smile. I was sort of stunned as well; that was the most Rakuyo has ever said to me. Rakuyo doesn't smile back at me, but merely looks away from my eyes. I frown, noticing again the hurt and sadness in his expression as he looked away from me.

"Hey, Kimina! You ready for today?" my other teammate, Lloyd, walks up and asks me.

"Um, yeah. I am," I answer softly, waking up from my thoughts.

_Poof..._

"Hello, everyone. Looks like we're all here!" Naria sensei exclaims, as she appears in a white cloud of smoke in front of us all.

"Yeah, yeah... we're all here. Now tell us what were supposed to be doing on this mission," Lloyd says, a bit tersely. His expression betrayed his words; his face was elated.

"Your assignment is very simple, really. All you have to do is fight me," she says calmly.

_'What? We have to fight her?'_ I say to myself, positively stunned at the thought.

"Wait. Is that all we have to do? Is just fight you?" Lloyd asks, confused. "Humph. This is gonna' be easy."

"Yep. That's it. You three must fight me head on. If you succeed on this assignment, then all of you will pass the test and go on to become well-trained shinobi. But if you do not succeed and fail... then you all will be sent back to the Academy," she says clearly.

"Sent back to the Academy?" I repeat, slightly alarmed.

"That's right," she says simply. She crosses her arms, apparently waiting for our decision. Well, of course we were going to go through with it!

"There has to be a catch in this, right?" Lloyd inquires in a lazy tone.

"No catch. All you have to do is fight me. You may use any jutsu, weapons, or any tactics or techniques that you can think of," she replies to him, gesturing with her hands to her own weapon pouch.

"Pfft. Alright. This is going to be easy," Lloyd says boastfully.

"Oh really? You really shouldn't get so cocky. Not knowing what the enemy's ability is on the field on battle, could lead to your downfall," she tells him, disappearing into thin air.

"Where... where did she go?" I ask, a little panicked. I look around the surroundings, not picking up any trace of her. From the corner of my eye, I could see that Rakuyo and Lloyd were doing the same. Out of nowhere, Naria instantly reappears in front of Lloyd, and punches him dead in his stomach. Blood spurts from his mouth, and he flies backwards into the cold hard ground.

"Lloyd!" I scream worryingly. I watch as he sits up on his knees, clutching his stomach and coughing up excess blood from the massive punch.

"And to think that... I was holding back on that hit," Naria says, gazing pathetically at him. 

Lloyd stands up hesitantly on his feet, glaring with loath in his eyes back at our sensei. "This is why you should never underestimate your opponent! It will lead only to the position that you are in now! If this was a real fight then you would be dead already!"

_'Man, she is so different when she's in battle. How in the world are we going to be able to win here? She's powerful,'_ I think hopelessly, looking from Lloyd to Naria sensei.

"Humph. I don't care what you say. I'm going to win here. No matter what!" Lloyd shouts confidently.

"Well then, prove to me what real shinobi you all are. Show me what real power you all possess, and what a true ninja does in the face of calamity!" she says, an encouraging smile planted on her face. She then looks around at all of your now determined expressions, and loudly yells, "Now... begin!"


	8. Chapter 8

"Shadow clone jutsu!" I yell out; with six exact copies of myself appearing around me.

_'Hmm. So, she is good with using the Shadow clone jutsu. But their not just apparitions... there actual solid clones. I never thought that I would see a genin of her level mastering this type of advanced jutsu. Impressive,'_ Naria thinks with a smile.

"Hmm?" I notice Naria sensei glance up in the direction towards the sky, a smile on her face.

"What is she looking at? Shouldn't she be more worried about my shadow clones... instead of something in the sky?"

"Look out!" Rakuyo screams loudly, suddenly grabbing my wrist and pulling me away from my positioned area.

"Hey, Rakuyo! What are you...?" I stop mid-sentence, completely stunned, just as a huge amount of fire envelops Naria sensei and all of my shadow clones. I look up to where the attack came from, and see an overwhelmed looking Lloyd carelessly hovering in the air.

_'He used the fireball jutsu. But what was he thinking? If Rakuyo hadn't pulled me away... I would've been hit with the full blast of it as well,'_ I think, clenching my fists at Lloyd's stupidity.

"Ha! Looks like I got her!" Lloyd shouts down to Rakuyo and I, delighted with himself.

"He's wrong," Rakuyo says simply.

"What are you talking about?" I question, dumbfounded.

"Just wait," he answers me, closing his eyes with a small sigh.

Lloyd's P.O.V

Still hovering in the air, I gaze down at my two teammates; looking a bit confused and perplexed. _'Hey. Shouldn't they be applauding me or something? I mean... I did get her, didn't I? What's up with them?'_ I ask myself puzzled.

"The fireball jutsu? Very remarkable," a voice behind me speaks.

Knowing exactly who it was, I smirk valiantly and reply, "You haven't seen anything yet. Not from me at least."

"You do have confidence, I'll give you that. But having too much confidence always isn't a good thing," Naria sensei tells me in a serious manner. Anger rises up in my chest, and I turn to face her. I try landing a punch, but she merely just blocks my attempt. A sharp pain then courses through my body, as she quickly delivers a blow to my stomach (again), sending me flying into the cold ground below.

End Lloyd's P.O.V

"Lloyd!" I scream stunned, watching hopelessly as my teammate hurtles towards the ground.

_'Man, there's nothing I can do,'_ Lloyd thinks helplessly, as the thought of it being over races through his mind. But just before impact, his body stops suddenly in mid-air.

"What... what just happened?" he asks bewildered, while looking behind him at the ground just inches away from his face.

"Why don't you take a look at your body a bit closely?" Naria sensei yells down to him. He does exactly what she said, and glimpses over his physique, and quickly notices a tiny thread wrapped around his lower waist.

"Whoa. How did she do that?" Lloyd asks himself astonished. He follows the thread and sees the other end of it tied around Naria sensei's right hand. She instinctively takes out a kunai knife, and easily cuts the thread with it. Lloyd hits the ground with little impact, and Naria sensei lands on the ground distancing herself fairly from the three of us.

"Lloyd! Are you okay?" I ask apprehensively.

"Yeah... I'm fine," he answers, standing up reluctantly. "Listen you two, I need you guys to just leave the rest to me. Well, it's not like all of you tried at least." He glares at Rakuyo. "Kimina, just stay back for now."

"What? What are you talking about?" I retort confounded.

"Just let me handle this on my own. Alright?" His voice rises.

"What? What is your problem? First you destroy all my clones... now you're asking us to just watch from the sidelines?" I question infuriated.

"Your clones were in the way," he spits back. _'Besides... I have to do this. She humiliated me. I can't accept that.._.' he thinks solemnly, remembering the occurrence.

"Alright, here I go," Lloyd says faintly, while smirking assuringly at Naria sensei.

Lloyd charges at top speed towards Naria, determination driven in his eyes.

"What is he thinking? Just let him handle this on his own? What does he think he can accomplish by fighting her all on his own? We should just go out there and help him, regardless of what he would say. Right, Rakuyo?" I request, a hopeful expression planted on my face.

Rakuyo doesn't answer. I look back at him. He was neither looking at me, nor at Lloyd and Naria sensei up ahead. He was merely gazing down at the grass around where his feet stood, apparently lost in his own thoughts.

Rakuyo's P.O.V.

_"Just go on home, you loser!" a blonde boy, by the name of Tomi, yells at me._

_"But... but... I just want to practice my shuriken jutsu with you guys," I innocently reply, observing the two shuriken in the boy's hand._

_"Hmph. No! Maybe we don't want you to practice your measly shuriken jutsu with us?" a red-headed girl on the right of Tomi, by the name of Auri, states coarsely._

_"Yeah... and maybe we don't want you to hang out with us at all!" a boy on the left of Tomi, by the name of Aro, implies harshly._

_"But... I... I could help," I stammer, a bit saddened at their comments. I fight back tears. Why do I even bother, everyone is always mean to me…_

_"No. We don't need your pathetic help. We can handle this all on our own. And besides... you'll just get in the way," Tomi tells me in a rude-mannered tone. He shoves me with his hand, and I lose my balance and fall on my butt to the ground. The other two kids laugh hysterically, and I burst into tears._

End of Rakuyo's P.O.V.

"Rakuyo! Hey, Rakuyo!" I shout loudly, trying to get his attention. He glances up at me, his expression remotely solemn. "Are you okay?" I notice his indistinct look.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he answers, mostly to himself than to me I thought. I shake my head and look back at my stupid teammate.

Lloyd draws his arm back, ready to throw a punch. Naria sensei simply closes her eyes and smirks steadfastly, and dodges easily at his needless attempt. Lloyd drops to the ground, and swings his leg under her feet, but in knowing what he was trying to do she just swiftly jumps into the air and flips backwards away from him. He tries charging her once more, with his arm pulled back for another punch.

Naria sensei effortlessly blocks his attack, by grabbing a hold of his fist before impact. He winces slightly at the tightness of her grip, and tries desperately to get out of it, but to no avail. Without letting go of his hand, she merely throws him back in the direction of where Rakuyo and I were standing.

Before Lloyd falls to the ground, a small ball of green chakra appears on Naria sensei's index finger. She flicks it off of her finger, directing it to hit under Lloyd's body; which creates a diminutive amount of earth and dirt to shoot out from under him, sending him flying back another twenty yards.

"Lloyd!" I scream, feeling uneasiness swell up in the pit my stomach. I had to help him, regardless of what he said. I start to run out towards him but stop myself short. He doesn't need my help, the thought reoccurs in my mind over and over again. He made that perfectly clear to both Rakuyo and I.

But then the uneasiness in my stomach then quickly turns into dread, as I feel Naria sensei's gaze center upon me. I turn away from Lloyd, who was sitting on his knees breathing heavily, and stare out at her with a sense of panic and dismay.

_'Hmm? Looks like her confidence is slowly diminishing away,'_ Naria sensei observes, watching me from afar.

_'No. Snap out of it, Kimina! I can't let her see that I am afraid. I have to do this! I am not going back to the Academy,'_ I say to myself, walking forward; signaling to Naria sensei that I was to fight her next.

I do a couple of hand signs and yell out, "Fire style: Fireball jutsu!"

"What? How in the world are these genin able to use this type of jutsu?" Naria states questioningly, glaring out at the fire that was racing towards her. She quickly makes a hand sign, and throws her arms out in front of her, producing a whirlwind of wind to soar in the way of the incoming fire. The wind, being so powerful, overbears the fire and rapidly distinguishes it away.

_'It's no use for them to keep using that jutsu. But still, these genin have stored up talent within them,' _Naria says to herself surely.

I stare wide-eyed, mouth agape, as her wind jutsu finally diminishes away. "It's no use. She's too powerful. I'll be a fool if I go up and do close hand-to-hand combat. I'll be in the same position as Lloyd…" I stay rooted in my position, and sigh out heavily.

"Looks like she has given up," Naria utters with a sigh.

"Kimina!" Lloyd exclaims, running over to my side.

"Lloyd," I barely manage to speak, my throat going dry.

"Alright, this assignment now comes to an end. I have given you the opportunity to show me what true shinobi you could be and some of you have shown me some impressive skills. But now it is time for me to tell you whether you have past or failed," she declares, a sense of disappointment evident in her voice.

_'Oh, man. She doesn't sound to happy about this,'_ I ponder worryingly, my heartbeat racing inside my chest. Naria lays her eyes on Rakuyo, who was gazing back at her with wavering ones as he stood away from Lloyd and I.

"Now then..." she begins to say, looking at us all with narrowed eyes. "You all have... failed!"

"What!" Lloyd proclaims flabbergasted. "What do you mean we failed?"

"What isn't there to understand, Lloyd? You three are obviously not ready to take on the responsibilities of ninja life. You all still have the mindsets of Ninja Academy children and not the genin that you are supposed to be!" she retorts indignantly.

_'So... this is it. It's all over,'_ I contemplate sorrowfully.


	9. Chapter 9

"What isn't there to understand, Lloyd? You three are obviously not ready to take on the responsibilities of ninja life. You all still have the mindsets of Ninja Academy children and not the genin that you are supposed to be!" she retorts indignantly.

_'So... this is it. It's all over,'_ I contemplate sorrowfully, realization finally hitting me. My heart bangs terribly against my chest, and my stomach does cartwheels.

"So, as my decision stands firm, you all will report back to the Academy first thing tomorrow morning," she exclaims bluntly, turning and walking away. ~~~

_"Ready to go? I was thinking that we could just go to the park after we get a bite to eat," Lloyd suggests, but mostly to me. He smiled only at me._

_"Yeah, sure. That's fine with me. How about you Rakuyo?" I politely ask him. He looks at me, and I see in his eyes for a split second, hurt and confusion. But I quickly shake off the thought, as I realize I was staring deeply into his eyes._

_"Yeah... that's fine," he answers me kind-heartedly._

_"Alright then. Let's go," Lloyd says, walking out the door. Rakuyo and I both follow him, and we head down to the cafe around the corner._

_"Hey, Kimina. What's up with your friend?" Lloyd inquires, gesturing down the road to our left._

_"Hmm? Who? You better not be talking about…" I trail off, immediately spotting Naruto, who was looking a bit saddened; from what I could see._

_"Um... you two can go on ahead. I'll catch up with you guys in a bit," I tell the both of them with a cheerful smile._

_"Yeah. Fine. Whatever. Just don't take too long," Lloyd remarks coldly, giving Rakuyo an immediate glance of annoyance; before turning his back and walking the rest of the way to the café down the road._

_"Rakuyo... what's wrong?" I ask suddenly, looking at his unmistakable melancholy expression. He doesn't answer. "You know... don't pay Lloyd no mind. He..." I stop mid-sentence, and watch as Rakuyo walks away without a single word._

_I shrug and sigh out heavily before walking my way over to my knuckle headed friend. "Hey, Naruto!" I wave in a mannerly fashion._

_"Hey, Kimina," he replies in a gloomy tone._

_'What's up with him?' I think somewhat puzzled, but slowly get the idea as I gaze at a pink-haired kunoichi running down the road away from the both of us. Sakura. And I didn't need to be told who she was running after; Sasuke._

_"So, aren't you supposed to be with your teammates?" Naruto asks me with a pleasant smile._

_"Yeah... but I just wanted to see if you were all right. And to also tell you that I hope everything goes well with your sensei," I answer in a kind and enthusiastic demeanor. And also with your bastard of a teammate, I mentally say._

_"You know I will! No matter what they throw at me. I'm gonna' pass through it with flying colors!" he exclaims boastly, throwing his fist in the air. Wow, his mood can really change all in an instant._

_"Yeah, me too! No matter what happens. Were not going to give up!" I proclaim, throwing my fist into the air same as him. Some of the passersby, I notice, smile at me and shake their heads at Naruto. My hand falls back to my side, and I feel anger rising up inside me._

_Naruto didn't seem to notice any of it, or he was acting like he didn't. "Well... I'll see you later, Kimina. I got some stuff I need to take care of," he tells me with an honest expression, in his mind thinking of ways of sabotaging Sasuke in front of Sakura._

_"Alright, Naruto. See you later!" I reply with a smile, walking away towards the café. Hopefully my other two teammates were getting along okay, or simply not flat out killing each other yet._ ~~~

"Wait a minute! Hold on! This isn't fair!" I yell to Naria sensei, finally snapping out of my thoughts.

"Hmm? What isn't fair?" she questions politely, stopping in her tracks and turning back around to the three of us.

"How in the world could we have passed this assignment? We're just starting out as genin! Of course we weren't going to win fighting against you head-on like that!" I remark with a serious expression.

"Of course you weren't going to win?" Naria repeats my words, her eyebrow raised in confusion.

_'Yeah... Kimina's right. I mean, I couldn't even get any of my attacks through to her,' _Lloyd contemplates with an upsetting sigh.

"Yeah, of course we couldn't win here. This assignment was just too tough for us," I explain with anguished eyes. It just wasn't fair.

"Too tough? Well, let me ask you this. Do you think that the enemy will ever go easy on you? Do you think they will show you mercy and let up on you when you get tired or scared? No they will not!" she spats out, not waiting for me to answer her questions. "And just for you three to understand, becoming a ninja is no easy task. You think that everything will just be easy and go your way? No it will not! You will have to work hard to achieve your goals and face turmoil's and battles far greater than the work of Ninja Academy students. You need to learn to grow up and know what it means to be true shinobi!"  
>I look down at the ground, pondering her words in my head.<p>

"And also about what you said of not being able to win here... is only because you all came at me one on one," she justifies plainly.

"Wait... what do you mean by that? Why is that the reason we didn't win here?" I ask, honestly bewildered. Lloyd snorts beside me.

"You three didn't consider for one minute why you were put on a three-man squad in the first place. Never really considered what this assignment was all about," Naria clarifies with a glare.

"I don't think I get what you mean..." I respond, trying to understand the concept of her words.

_'Why we were put on a three man squad? How the heck are we supposed to know? The Hokage came up with those rules. What? Does she want us to go and ask him?'_ Lloyd thinks, annoyed.

"Teamwork!" she shouts out simply.

"What? Teamwork?" Lloyd and I question at the same time, the same surprising expressions on both our faces.

"Yes, teamwork. If you all would have known that before... you all could have came at me all at once... and maybe you could've gotten through on your attacks. You see, no matter how strong or defiant an opponent may be, if you work together then you will succeed through any duty given to you! But seeing as though you didn't know this in the beginning was all too bad on your part. When you came at me all on your own... everything you used and did was pointless. And one of you didn't even try to help out at all," she lastly says, gazing down at Rakuyo. I glare at her.

"Rakuyo! You stood there and watched the whole time while Lloyd and Kimina fought to try to win all on their own. You said on yesterday that you were good at strategies. You need to use what you know on the battlefield to conduct and tell your teammates what they should or shouldn't do," she tells him, with a slight grimace. 

"Oh great. Now she's making Rakuyo be the leader," Lloyd says aloud gruffly.

Naria sensei ignores Lloyd completely, but I wish she hadn't. "Kimina! Your attacks are pretty skillful but you lack much self-confidence. You give up too easily and if that same thing would have happened on a real battlefield... you would have been killed and let down the rest of your squad," she divulges tersely. Lloyd snorts again.

"And you Lloyd! You were the worst of the whole squad!" Naria sensei informs him shrewdly.

"What?" Lloyd replies, obviously not comprehending what she meant.

"You did everything by yourself and thought the others as only burdens that will just get in your way. That is not the way of a ninja to act! You all must help each other out and work as a team!" she replies to Lloyd's quizzical look. She then sighs out in a tiring way, before turning her back on us again. "Hopefully you guys will do better next time."

"Hold on! There isn't going to be a next time!" Lloyd yells out boastfully. "We're going to fight you again! And this time were gonna' show you what real shinobi we can be! Right, you guys?"

"Lloyd... what are you doing?" I ask him perplexed. Wait a minute. I knew exactly what he was doing. This was our chance. Now that we knew everything that was to be expected, we could surely past this test.

"My decision stands firm, Lloyd. You all have failed this assignment, and there are no second chances," Naria says plainly, glancing back at the three of us. She takes a couple more steps away. "You all will return to the Academy tomorrow."

" Sorry about that, but I never took too kindly to following the rules of the game very much," Lloyd replies, a playful smile on his lips.

"Alright, Lloyd. Don't know what you got up your sleeve but I'm up for it," I tell him, thinking in my mind what Naruto and I had agreed on. That we were never going to give up.

"Humph. Alright, let's show her what real teamwork is all about!" Lloyd proclaims, reaching for his weapon pouch. I nod in agreement and get into a fighting stance, with Rakuyo doing the same.

"Okay! Now!" Lloyd exclaims, grabbing out a kunai knife.


	10. Chapter 10

"Kimina. Use your shadow clone jutsu like you did before," Rakuyo instructs me calmly.

I look at him, taken aback for only an instant. "What? But... Rakuyo?" I begin to question, not knowing what he was up to. But then I put a little faith in him, remembering what he had said on the day we had met Naria-sensei. He was good at strategy.

_'Alright, Rakuyo. Hope you know what you're doing,'_ I contemplate with a slight sigh. "Shadow clone jutsu!" Four of my clones appear between Naria sensei and me.

"Lloyd! Use your fireball jutsu from up in the air again," Rakuyo states, with an almost determined expression towards him. I notice Rakuyo's look, and smile absently, convinced that Rakuyo knew what he was doing.

"What? That didn't work the first time... so what makes you think it's gonna' work now?" Lloyd asks him, doubted. Clearly he didn't like taking orders from him.

"Just... I... just trust me," he replies in a sincere, yet hesitant way. I urge Lloyd to do it.

"Fine. Whatever. If this doesn't work then don't blame me," Lloyd utters plainly, giving Rakuyo the same annoyed glance he had given him once before.

He jumps into the air, and shouts out, "Fire style: Fireball jutsu!" He inhales a small bit of air, and then exhales a huge amount of fire that races out downwards in the direction of Naria sensei and my shadow clones.

_'Now!'_ I jump backwards to Rakuyo, as the fire engulfs my clones and Naria sensei.

"Did we do it this time?" I ask, mostly to myself than to anyone else.

But Rakuyo answers it anyway. "No. We didn't," Rakuyo says simply, looking up at Lloyd who was still hovering in the air. Lloyd stares down at the fire, as it slowly diminishes away. He grits his teeth slightly, from seeing no sign of Naria sensei, meaning that she had disappeared just like from the previous attempt.

_'I knew that that wouldn't work,'_ he muses over irritably, catching Rakuyo's gaze. _'But... you probably already knew that didn't you? So, that must mean...'_ Lloyd ponders the thought in his head, giving Rakuyo a quick tiny smile. Lloyd then quickly turns around, blocking two punches and a kick.

"Humph. Looks like you're in the same predicament that you were in the last time. I thought that you guys were going to show me real teamwork... that's why I'm giving you three a second chance. But I guess not," Naria says to Lloyd, both of them still floating in the air, eyeing each other with solemn smirks. The way they were floating up there, looking at each other, you never would've guessed they were sensei and student.

"You know? I was kind of thinking the same thing. Like why were we using the same techniques like before? Clearly they hadn't worked then. So, why try it again? Why not something new? But you know what... you really shouldn't doubt your opponents," Lloyd justifies, glancing behind her.

"Hmm? So I see..." Naria calmly says, looking at an impassive-looking Rakuyo hovering inches behind her. 

"Yeah, Rakuyo!" I exclaim.

_'Alright,'_ Rakuyo thinks determinedly, throwing a fist at his sensei.

Naria easily blocks it by grabbing a hold of his hand before impact. Lloyd then tries to do the same, but he ends up in the same position as Rakuyo; with his fist clutched firmly in her other hand. She spins around twice and hurls them both down towards the ground in one swift motion.

"No! Lloyd... Rakuyo!" I scream, watching my two teammates hit the ground with tremendous force. My expression turns from complete worry into perplexity and relief, as I gaze at the two logs that took the place of them both.

Naria sensei lands about fifteen yards away from me, still staring at the two brown logs herself. _'So, they changed their tactics up a bit. Wasn't a bad attempt at what they pulled,'_ she thinks to herself surely.

"Humph. That wasn't bad you too. Now what?" I question curiously, looking back and forth at both my comrades as they appear on either side of me. ******

"So, you guys got the plan?" Rakuyo asks Lloyd and I both one last time.

"Yep! There's no way were gonna' mess this up!" Lloyd exclaims, making a hand sign.

"Right!" I agree, preparing the same hand sign as Lloyd.

"Fire style: Fireball jutsu!" we both yell out, exhaling the same amount of scorching fire directly at our sensei.

_'What are they doing?'_ Naria contemplates amusingly, about to readily move out of the fire's path. "What?" She tries to move her legs, but she couldn't. She slowly looks down, and sees four green thorn-like roots from underground wrapped securely around her ankles. _'What? What is this?'_ she ponders in surprise, but gets her answer as she gazes up at Rakuyo; who was kneeled down beside me with one hand on the ground. _'So, this boy can...'_ Naria begins to say, but stops as the fire races out swiftly towards her, seconds away from contact. _'Have to make this quick!'_ She makes prompt hand movements.

**BOOM!** Water collides with fire, and a huge explosion sets off, canceling both jutsus out.

_'So, she managed to counter the fire with a water dragon jutsu? Well, can't say that the plan was going to work. She is a jounin, after all...'_ Lloyd says to himself, covering his face up from the debris and smoke from the blast.

"Very nice work, you three. I have to say I'm more impressed than the last time. Very much impressed," Naria sensei states honestly.

"We're not done yet!" Lloyd proclaims boastfully.

"Hmm? Oh really?" Naria sighs out, looking behind her at Rakuyo who just appeared there moments ago. He tries landing another blow, but she merely deflects it off. She then turns back around, blocking a kick from Lloyd and also dodging a punch from me. All three of us were all over her, all fighting her at once.

Lloyd drops to the ground, attempting to trip her legs. But she jumps smoothly into the air, where I try to land a blow to her jaw. But she nimbly hinders my attack, and swings her leg around and strikes me on my right shoulder.

"Aahh!" I yell out in pain, falling to the ground on my knees, gripping the bone painfully.

"Kimina!" Lloyd calls out to me, getting struck in the chest but ignoring the pain coursing through his body. _'Kimina... come on. Do it now.' _Lloyd gestures to me, clutching his chest slightly.

Without Naria sensei noticing, I make a hand sign.

"Alright, Lloyd!" Rakuyo calls out, grabbing out a kunai knife; with Lloyd doing the same. They both get some fair distance between them and Naria sensei, and at the same time, both throw their knives at her.

Naria sensei simply dodges them, as the two kunai's hit the other, virtually canceling them out. She slides back a couple feet, giving that she had to dodge the kunai knives in a hurry. "So, is this it?" she asks them all, clearly somewhat entertained.

"Not quite!" a voice says from far off in the distance.

"What?" she gasps. It was one of my shadow clones, and it was coming up fast behind her. Naria sensei turns around to a fistful punch right in her jaw, sending her flying in the opposite direction; landing roughly on the ground in front of me.

"Yes! We did it!" Lloyd declares, his fist raised in the air.

"What?" I gasp out, seeing Naria sensei's unconscious form dissipate into a puddle of water.

"It was only a water clone," Rakuyo states, his tone implying that it wasn't a surprise.

"Kind of figured something like that to happen... seemed to good to be true actually," Lloyd sighs out, slouching over in a disappointed manner. A gust of wind picks up behind him, and out of the swirling of leaves appears our sensei.

"Hey. You need help or what?" Lloyd asks, walking over and reaching his arm out to me.

"Yeah," I answer, taking his hand. When I get up, I brush my arms and legs off, dusting little amounts of dirt off from my clothes.

"So, how did we do? We did good, right?" Lloyd asks Naria sensei, hoping she would give him the answer he was looking for.

"I must say... you did much better than the last time," she replies, giving us all a sincere smile.

"Better enough to past?" I ask, looking about as hopeful as a deer about to be hunted.

"Hmm... I will think so," she states calmly. 

What? I stare out in shock at her words and say almost happily, "Wait. So... does that mean that... you're passing us?" She simply nods her head.

"Woo-hoo!" Lloyd proclaims excitedly, throwing both his fists into the air.

"You guys did much better when you all worked as a team. And you Rakuyo, what an impressive jutsu. To be able to hold your opponent down using an Earth style jutsu. That's rarely seen, especially in a genin like yourself so young," she tells him warmly, giving him a kind smile. Rakuyo doesn't say anything back, just simply gives her a small smile in return.

"But you know, just because I am giving you three a good report now doesn't mean there isn't anything that you have to work at. You three have much more to learn, and I will teach you only if you want to be taught," she exclaims, her expression slightly rigorous.

"Hell yeah, whatever! Of course! Nothing is gonna' stop me from becoming chunin!" Lloyd declares, determination etched in his eyes.

"Well, alright. I will see you three tomorrow then at the Hokage's office for your first mission," she divulges quickly.

"Wait. The Hokage's office?" I ask, obviously confused.

"Yes. The Hokage will be giving the first mission's to all of the passing genin in your level," Naria replies patiently. Noticing my understanding gaze, Naria sensei lastly says, before disappearing in a gust of wind, "Well, like I said... I will see you all tomorrow." She disappears.

"So, I guess I'll go on home now and give the old pops and my mom the good news," Lloyd says aloud to no one in particular. I could've sworn that I saw Rakuyo flinch at the mention of Lloyd talking about his parents, especially at the part when Lloyd said old pops, but I shake myself of the thought.

"Yeah, I think I better go on home too. My mom will want to know everything," I pronounce elated, waving bye to the both of them and walking away.

Lloyd's P.O.V

I wave back to Kimina, as she disappears through the trees heading northeast. And now, it was just Rakuyo and I standing in the open field. I continue to stare out at where Kimina had vanished, and wish absently that she never left; or wishing that she could've taken me with her. I sigh out heavily, knowing that I had to say something.

"Um... Rakuyo? I... what?" I look over to where Rakuyo was standing just a few moments ago, but he wasn't there. I look around, quickly spotting him walking away in the opposite direction from where Kimina left. Man he could move silently… and fast!

"Hey, Rakuyo!" I yell out to him, sprinting up beside him. "Hey, I just wanted to tell you that... you did an awesome job with planning out a strategy in our last battle back there." Really wish Kimina were here to see this, she wouldn't believe her eyes. I don't even believe it I was doing this.

I hold out my hand, in an offer for a handshake. But Lord knows that I did not want to be saying or doing this, and I was hoping that my expression didn't give off that impression.

"Umm... yeah. Umm... thanks," Rakuyo replies tentatively, eyeing my hand for a brief second.

"Wee, I'll see you tomorrow then," I quickly say, trying to hold back a rude comment.

Rakuyo simply nods in reply, and begins walking in the direction of where he was headed. For the first time towards him, a wave of sympathy sweeps over me as I watch him walk away with a gloomy disposition. But it was only a small wave of sympathy, something that I could walk away from and easily forget about, which was exactly what I did.  
><span><br>End of Lloyd's P.O.V

Naria's P.O.V

"Good afternoon, Lord Hokage," I say with a generous smile and a low bow of my head, as I enter his office.

"Oh, good afternoon Naria. What brings you here?" the old man asks considerately.

"I am just bringing you my report on Team 9, my Lord," I answer steadfastly.

"Hmm. Oh yes. Kimina Fujimaru, Lloyd Yukohama, and Rakuyo Sesetsu. Yes, how did their assignment go?" he questions me eagerly.

"They have passed the assignment, my Lord. But it was not an easy task for them," I exclaim justly.

"Hah. I would assume not," the Hokage replies, laughing while he said it.

"On their first try, they failed miserably. And I failed them then, and I told them what their faults were and what they needed to work on. But they are a persistent bunch and they wouldn't give up. So, I gave them a second try and they did an exceptional job. They proved to me what real teamwork they had and showed me how skilled they are in the jutsus they wield," I report with a serious expression, but on the inside I was very ecstatic.

"Hmm. Iruka-sensei did tell me that those three with a very good crop of students in his class. With Kimina being up there with Sasuke Uchiha. I am very glad that they have passed their assignment. Now, they will be able to show their true potential! And I wish you luck as well, Naria. This will be your first time in teaching and mentoring a group of genin," he states profoundly. His smile was so warm and caring.

"Thank you, Lord Hokage," I retort contently, giving him another bow of my head. _'Yes... Iruka-sensei was right. These are indeed a very good and promising group of students. And I will teach them just like you Lord Hokage and also the Fourth Hokage had taught me.'_

End of Naria's P.O.V ***** 

"Oh! I am very proud of you, Kimina!" my mother says happily, giving me a big hug. This time though, gratefully, she didn't suffocate me.

"Yeah, I am too. I never thought I would make it this far!" I exclaim, with a lopsided smile. I was too excited.

"Well... you did. And I am so proud of you!" she repeats herself, endowing me with yet another hug. This time crushing me…

"So, did Hinata pass her assignment as well?" she asks warmly, putting away some of the dishes.

"Yeah, she did! Her, Kiba, and Shino who are all on her team as well," I tell her, clearly happy that we were all going to be genin together. There was just one other team I didn't know about; Naruto's. But I couldn't say anything in front of my mom about it; she'd give me that same malice look in her eyes. And I didn't want to spoil the happy setting in the room; I would just have to wait until the morning.

"You know... your father will be real proud of you," my mom says, seeing me eye his picture  
>over the fireplace in the next room.<p>

"Yeah... I know... I know he would be," I murmer, mostly to myself, still focusing on the picture with an almost sorrowful expression.

**Loong chapter, I know but thanks for reading! Please let me know how I'm doing too *smiley***


	11. Chapter 11

"Hello, Naria," Kakashi politely says.

"And hello to you too, Kakashi," Naria sensei remarks, with a friendly smile.

"Hah. Didn't expect to see your group here, Naruto. Getting some of those lame old missions, too?" Lloyd implies with a smirk.

"You wish! Actually, the old man over there just assigned us to a C ranked mission! Where we get to guard a very important person!" Naruto pronounces boldly.

"Seriously? Never would have guessed," Lloyd says, trying to make his voice sound as nice as possible. I glare feebly at Lloyd, and nudge him hardly in his stomach.

"Ouch! What was that for?" He doubles over in pain.

"That's great, Naruto. Hope your team does well," I utter, giving him and Sakura a pleasant nod, and ignoring Sasuke completely. Sasuke gives me a cold look, which I return with equal intenseness.

"Uh-oh. Here we go," Lloyd sighs out tiredly.

Before I could comment, the Hokage says to Kakashi and his team, "Alright, Team 7. Here is the person that you will be guarding for this mission. Send him in!"

The door my team and I had just entered had just entered from opens up, revealing an old man, who obviously was a little drunk; given that he had a half bottle of sake in his left hand and that his eyes were blood-shot. "Hmmm? What? I'm gonna' be protected by a bunch of grimy little kinder garden children?" the man says harshly; eyeing Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura.

The man takes another sip of his sake, the liquid dripping down onto his small gray beard. "And the small one in the middle, the one with the silly orange outfit on. You really expect me to believe that you're a real ninja. Yeah, right," he states with a doubted look. I glare at the man standing in the doorway, clutching my fists at his words.

"Hah! Who is he talking about? Who's the little one with the silly orange outfit on? Hah! Huh?" Naruto stops laughing, immediately figuring out who had on the silly orange outfit; himself.

"We understand. Now let's get going. We don't want to keep him waiting," Kakashi says serenely, letting go of Naruto's shirt and walking with his hands in his pockets over to Tazuna. I give Naruto a look of sympathy mixed with confidence, which he returns back, but I could still tell that he was majorly annoyed.

"See you, Sakura," I say to her contently, as she walks past me. She waves back at me, and walks out of the office followed by Naruto, and Sasuke; who doesn't pay me the slightest attention as he leaves the room. I smile in victory.

"Wow. I can't help but feel sorry for them. That man was way weird," Lloyd justifies truthfully, shivering at the thought.

"Yeah, for once I agree with you," I promptly reply genially.

"But you have to admit, at least their getting a chance to get out of this village. Instead of..."

"Tending to someone's flower patch?" the Hokage interrupts Lloyd with a smile.

"Yeah. But how did you know I was going to say that? Umm... Lord Hokage," Lloyd hastily adds.

"It was just a guess," the old man remarks kindly. "So, I take it that you are getting tired of doing all of these baby missions, I presume?"

"Um... yeah. Sort of," Lloyd barely says above a whisper, while scratching the back of his head.

"Well, seeing as I just gave a C ranked assignment to Kakashi and his team... I see no reason to give you one as well," the Third pronounces, a fond smile on his face.

"Wh-what? Seriously?" I falter at a loss for words. Was this old man serious?

"You mean, we'll be getting to go out of the village? Oh man! This is so cool!" Lloyd exclaims happily. I nod my head beside him.

"Yes, you will be. I hear from the men and women of this village what a fantastic and diligent job you three are doing. And also, from what your sensei and also from Iruka-sensei have told me, you three have much potential and are very promising students," he says, with a gesture to Naria sensei and Iruka sensei, who was sitting next to him. I look over at Naria sensei, who was standing next to Rakuyo, and smile at her as she gives me a proud nod of her head in return.

"So, what will we be doing?" Lloyd breaks the silence, curiosity etched in his voice.

"Hmm, let's see. You three will be taking a letter to the Kazekage of the Village Hidden in the Sand," the Hokage tells us all, holding up a red velvety letter.

"So cool! I'm definitely ready for anything!" Lloyd practically screams for joy. _'But seriously? All we have to do is deliver a letter? I'll settle for what Naruto and his team have to do instead. Oh well...'_

"Right. So, when do we leave?" I ask for Lloyd.

"You will be leaving as soon as possible. You will return home and pack your things, and will..."

"Meet me at the front gate in about an hour," Naria finishes for him.

"Right. Will do," I proclaim affirmatively. "Wow, I can't believe we get to go on a real mission! Can't wait to tell my mom! She's gonna' be so happy…" I stop mid-sentence.

"Hmmm? What's up, Kimina?" Lloyd asks me perceptively.

"Uh... nothing. I'm fine. Anyway, I better go on home and start packing! See you guys. And thanks to you as well for this opportunity, Lord Hokage. We will not disappoint you," I say to him, before leaving out of the office. The Hokage nods his head.

"Well, I best to be getting on home myself. And whatever Kimina just said, same for me too! Bye!" Lloyd declares, rushing out of the room himself.

Rakuyo stands there, unmoving. _'So, were really going to leave the village. Hope we don't come across him on the...'_

"Rakuyo? You okay?" Naria questions worriedly.

"I'm... I'm fine," he explains, trying to keep his voice and expression normal. "I'm going to get going now." He walks out of the room without another word, his hands deep in his pockets.

"It seems that there is a lot of sadness and regret that is in the hearts of your students, Naria," Sarutobi states passively. A look of sadness replaces his happy features.

"Yes, there is. But I am sure that their worries and fears will be overcome by the friendship that they will soon come to realize they have," she replies, concern and hopefulness filled in her every word.

"I am sure of that. And there is something else that I will like to talk to you about as well," the Hokage says placidly. "The road leading to the Village Hidden in the Sand isn't a pleasant one. But sadly, you already know that."

"I know, my Lord. And I already know what you are going to say. That there are crooks and robbers along the path and also things, including ninja, that are much more dangerous and deadly. This will be my first mission conducting my own team. And I will assure you that I will not let any harm come to any of them... I will sacrifice my life in order to see them return safely to this village," she pronounces seriously, her expression stern. '_Just like he did for us.'_

The Third nods his head in understanding and says, "Very good. I see that you have learned a lot. And I am very proud of you. May you and your team do well."

"Thank you, my Lord," Naria utters simply, bowing her head in respect. ******

"Alright, mom. I'm all packed!" I call out to her, strapping my red backpack over my shoulders. My mother then walks into the room, smiling genuinely.

"Oh, Kimina. I just can't believe that you're going to be leaving the village. I'm so proud of you. Do your best!" she walks up to me, giving me yet another bone-crushing hug. Was that the foundation of our relationship?

_'Yeah... and obviously scared to death for me,'_ I think half-heartedly. "Don't worry, mom. I'm going to be fine. We're going to be with Naria-sensei, and she's awesome!"

A look of hurt crosses her features. "All right, sweetheart. I know. Just promise me you'll return, okay?" she asks unnerved.

I gasp silently at her words, remembering that she had asked the same thing to father.  
><em><br>I was sitting on the bottom of the stairwell, pushing my black bangs from in front of my face; staring out at both my mother and father, who were standing at the front door._

_'I can't believe he's leaving for some dumb old mission. Why can't he just stay here with me and mom?' I question to myself, fighting back tears. My father was leaving both of us the second time this week. I see mom put her hands on father's broad shoulders, and smile earnestly up at his handsome face. She then brushes his untidy black hair from over his face and kisses him lightly on the lips. I look away for that split second. Those were their special moments with each other, and they kind of grossed me out too._

_"Please... promise me you'll return to us, okay?" I hear her say through sobs of tears. This must was going to be a tough mission._

_"Of course, dear. I promise I will. Me and my team," he replies, his voice deep and his tone honest._

But he didn't come back.

"Kimina... you alright?" I hear my mom ask, bringing me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah, I'm fine mom. I got to go. Were supposed to meet our sensei in an hour. I'll see you soon," I tell her, walking out of the room. I couldn't bear to see her face again, the sadness in her eyes.

Lloyd's P.O.V

"So, I see that you're ready to go," my dad, Ryo, says in his serious tone.

"Yeah... I am," I reply, a bit hesitant.

"Just make sure you don't mess anything up. All right? This is your first time out of the village... so don't screw up your first mission. Remember everything I taught you," he tells me harshly.

"Right, dad. I won't disappoint you," I pronounce lowly.

"You better not," he states simply, his brown eyes glaring. I hated when he was like this; it honestly scared me. If any of my friends knew, I'd be a laughing stock.

"Umm... I'll see you mom," I call out, earning nothing in response.

"Your mother isn't here. She went to the store. Now, get going," he utters clearly, gesturing towards the door.

"Alright then. I'll... I'll see you," I lastly say, averting my father's gaze, and walking outside towards the front gate. My father says nothing; just closes the door behind me.

End of Lloyd's P.O.V

Rakuyo's P.O.V

I walk out into the front room, my backpack strapped loosely over my right shoulder. "Mom... mom," I utter her name softly, watching as she slept peacefully on the small brown leather sofa. I scowl feebly, noticing the empty soda cans and plates of unfinished food lying around on the miniature table set vertically to the sofa; and also all around the floor. I glance back at my mother, anger subsiding into sympathy. I walk slowly over to her, and brush parts of her red-auburn hair from over her face.

"I'm going now, mom. Umm... I'll see you when I get back," I say absent-mindedly, before making my way out the wooden door out onto the small porch.

End of Rakuyo's P.O.V

"So, you guys are finally here!" Naria yells happily, as Lloyd, Rakuyo, and I walk over to her; the huge front gates lingering in the distance.

"Hmmm? Finally here? Were a bit early if you ask me," Lloyd exclaims, a little unenthused.

"Hah. Yeah, your right on time, actually! I was just kidding!" she exclaims merrily.

_'Uh, okay. Man, if I hadn't witnessed the power that she possessed and didn't know that she was a jounin... I would've though she was an Academy student by the way she acted. But she's way different from this when she's actually fighting,'_ Lloyd contemplates to himself, a cold shiver going down his spine at his sensei's sudden bubbly attitude.

"Hehe. Alright, let's go! I'm dying to see what's it's like outside the village!" I shout contently, throwing my fist in the air.

"Man, this is going to be a long mission," Lloyd sighs out miserably.

"What's the matter, Lloyd?" I ask with a playful smirk.

"Nothing. I'm fine," he replies smiling. He then clears his throat and looks away. 

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Can't cut going on a mission with two girls, huh?" I question, placing my hands on my hips.

"Naw, that's not it. It's just that I'm going on a mission with one: my jounin sensei who acts like a genin student except for when she's in battle. And two: my teammate who's gonna' talk and probably nag the whole way," he tells me simply.

"Nag? Since when have I ever nagged?" I ask defensively. I have never nagged, and he knew it. Something was bothering him, but I couldn't tell what.

"Never. I already know you're not the type of person. I just like to mess with you! Now, come on! I can't wait to get out of here!" he declares with the same enthusiasm as Naria-sensei and I; mostly because he didn't want me to make a comment back, I suspected.

"Alright, then. Let's go," Naria sensei states, walking over to the front gates about less then ten yards away. I see her look over at a group of jounin who were standing under a small wooden shelter. I immediately recognize the woman jounin who was standing under it. The young woman, with short purple hair and eating some kind of dumplings, nods at the four of us.

_'Anko,'_ I say to myself, oblivious that the gates before me swung open, and that my team was already walking through it.

"Hey, Kimina! You coming?" Lloyd practically yells, gesturing me over to them.

"Oh, sorry about that. Guess I got side-tracked," I tell them, mentally relieved that they dropped it at that and continued on walking.

"Alright! Finally, out of that village! This is going to be awesome!" Lloyd pronounces excitedly.

"Yeah," Rakuyo says faintly, his gaze fixated on the setting sun.

"So, Naria-sensei? How long will it take for us to arrive at the Sand village?" I ask, trying to make a conversation.

"Hmm? It shouldn't take that long. But seeing that it will be getting dark soon, we may have to prolong the mission and stay at the small village of Kombawa, which is about 200 yards from here. At this pace, we should make it there close before nightfall," she says earnestly, taking glances at my skeptical face.

"Sounds good to me!" Lloyd utters loudly, before I could even say anything.

"Humph," I snort, closing my eyes and smiling. _'Yeah, this is going to be a long mission.'_


	12. Chapter 12

"I'll have a cheeseburger too," I tell our waitress kindly, handing her the menu with a warm smile.

She returns my smile. "Okay. So, I have two cheeseburgers. One order of the pan noodles with beef, and one miso ramen with chicken. Will that be all?" she asks courteously, putting her auburn hair back in place behind her ear.

"Yeah... I think that's it," Naria sensei answers, seeing our content expressions.

"Alright. That'll be coming right up." With that said, she walks briskly away towards the back of the restaurant. I watch her as she disappears through the double doors to the kitchen with keen interest.

"Hey, Kimina. What are you staring at?" Lloyd asks me. By the sound of his voice, he seemed amused.

"Hmm?" I look at him sited next to me. "Nothing. It's just that that waitress looks really young."

"She is. Her name is Lea, you already know that. She's only a couple year older than you guys. Her father, Apaja, owns this restaurant," Naria sensei explains, her eyes focused on the red-painted ceiling.

By this time, the young waitress returns with a bottle of ketchup. I wait until she leaves again, before starting back up the conversation. But Lloyd beat me to the punch line. "How do you know that? Have you come here before?" I watch eagerly at our sensei sitting across the table, next to Rakuyo. That was exactly the question I had intended to ask.

"Yeah. I've been here a couple times before. Both times I was on my way to the Village Hidden in the Sand," she replies, a happy smile on her heart-shaped face. 

Wow. There were some many questions I had now. What was the Village Hidden in the Sand like? What to expect? Who did she travel with? Or did she journey out here on her own?

But as I open my mouth, I quickly close it again. Because I noticed Naria sensei's attention was not on neither of us, but was centered intently on someone or something else directly diagonal from us. Her eyes were narrowed, but not in hostility or anger. _In suspicion?_ I turn my body halfway, and stare out at the empty booths across from us. Empty.

I turn back to our own booth, new questions now forming in my mind. But one in particular was the one I thought of the most; what or who was she looking at? Whatever it was it was gone now. I gaze up tentatively in our sensei's direction. She was gazing back at me, her expression unreadable. I wonder what expression she saw on my face, because something flashed across her own face in response to it. Not wanting to classify what it was, I quickly avert my eyes from hers, and look at both Rakuyo and Lloyd, who seemed to not have even noticed anything.

"So, after we eat, we should head on over to the inn just up the road. It'll be good to get an early rest in for tomorrow. Seeing that we have a longer ways to go to the Sand village," she states genially.

"Fine with me. A good night's rest is what I need," Lloyd utters, stifling a yawn.

"All right. Here we go!" Lea, our waitress, proclaims in a merry tone. She walks up with a big, brown circular tray rested easily on the palm of her right hand; on top, each of our four dinner meals.

"Here you two go," she says to Lloyd and I, placing our cheeseburgers in front of us first. "And for you"-sets down Naria sensei's beef pan noodles- "and here is yours," she adds politely, setting down Rakuyo's chicken miso ramen. "Okay, everyone. Enjoy your meal!"

~~*~~

The inn room was adequately small. Facing east, directly across from the door, was a nice-sized window that looked out into the neighboring village forest. Underneath the window was a quaint, but small wooden dresser-drawer. On the northern side of the room, was a door leading into the bathroom. And in the center of the room there laid two large cozy quilt's, with two fluffy white pillows situated across the top half; the bed, in all its glory.

"It's nice, isn't it?" Naria sensei asks me, watching me with contempt humor as my eyes sweep the room for the third time. "So, are you just gonna' stand there all night... or are you going to let me pass?"

"Oh! I'm sorry, sensei." I scurry with quick briskness into the room, my cheeks heating up faintly from the slight embarrassment.

"It's not much. But were only staying here for one night, right?" Naria glances around the room herself, her facial expression hovering between amusement and distaste. She then closes the door behind her.

She walks slowly to the bed, and sits on the edge of it, facing the door. Mechanically, she rummages through her backpack, taking little knick-knacks out and setting them beside her; a bottle of water, some ninja weaponry, and the letter from the Third Hokage. I laugh mentally to myself; what Lloyd wouldn't give right now to be in here. To maybe be able to finally see what's inside it.

"I'll be in the bathroom," I utter absent-mindedly, hoping my voice didn't sound as humorous as I felt. Not waiting for a response, I trudge dormant into the bathroom with my bag still strapped over my shoulders.

Naria's P.O.V.

_Rustle, rustle, rustle…_

My hand freezes on contact in the confines of my bag. My eyes narrow, as I turn my head towards the sound coming through the half-open window. I stand up swiftly, moving with quick and soundless steps to the window. My hand clasps over the latch, and I pull the window open side-ways; as far as it could go.

I stare out into the encroached forest; my eyes sweeping over every tree and leaf, my ears catching each little movement and sound. Nothing. There was no sound, nothing out of the ordinary. They seemed to have left; their presence was felt nowhere in the vicinity. But why were they here in the first place? Why were they following us? I knew the answer; it was just my heart and mind didn't want to acknowledge it.

End of Naria's P.O.V

The night wore on, and I wasn't getting any sleep from it. Every time I closed my eyes, all I could think about was that moment in the restaurant. Naria sensei's suspicious glare, staring out at the booths across from us; the empty booths across from us.

There was something or someone there, my sub-conscious told me again and again. Well, of course that had to be true. The skepticism in her eyes. Anyway, there was nothing to worry over, right? If there was any point of being in danger, or we were being followed, Naria sensei would have informed us from the beginning.

Sigh. "I need some air," I murmur softly, looking feebly at the window above me.

I then look beside me at Naria sensei's sleeping form, hoping that I wouldn't wake her. With quick and hushed steps, I roll out of bed and hurriedly change from my flannel shirt and shorts into my daily ninja attire. I tie the lavender belt around my waist securely, and with another glance at Naria sensei, I jump quietly out of the window and onto the dirt back road. I immediately notice a path leading into the forest on my left side, and I follow it without hesitation, hoping that a nice walk would clear my head of all the panic that was beginning to creep up on me. ****** 

I don't know how much time had passed since I began walking. Five minutes... twenty minutes... an hour? Time was totally oblivious to me now. I kept following the trail, until it took me to a small circular clearing, where it ended. The trees hovered so closely together in the small space, cherry blossoms beginning to bloom on each of them. I could see the night sky clearly from here, every bright-lit star and the perfectly full moon.

"So, what are you doing out here?" I nearly jump in surprise at the sound of his voice behind me. Only he would laugh in this situation. He nearly doubled over, laughing whimsically at my utterly astonished expression.

"I'm sorry. Did I scare you?" Lloyd asks, trying to compose his laughter.

"A bit... yeah," I admit, trying to compose my breathing back to a normal rate. "What are you doing out here?"

"I followed you," he states simply.

"Followed me?" I repeat, my eyebrows raised. He nods in response.

"Yeah. I was still up and I heard a noise from outside. Turns out it was you leaving your room. So, I decided to follow." He nods once again. "Why did you leave in the first place?"

"I couldn't sleep and I needed some air," I explain truthfully. I then go and sit down against a tree behind me, my back resting against it comfortably.

"Oh yeah, it's not like there's any air inside the inn." Sarcasm. Lloyd walks over and rests himself against the tree beside me. I needed to tell him. The panic was eating me up inside too much, and I needed to tell him about what happened in the restaurant. Something he and Rakuyo missed completely.

"Can I ask you something?" Lloyd questions, throwing my off slightly of what I was going to say.

"Um... sure. Nothing too personal, I hope," I reply skeptically, forcing a smile to my lips.

"I don't think so," he says, barely above a whisper. What was he going to ask me?

"Shoot," I encourage, my tone slightly unsettled.

He seemed to hesitate even more at this point. He cleared his throat. "Why... why do you dislike Sasuke so much?"


	13. Chapter 13

His question took me by surprise. Of all the possibilities of the questions that he could've asked me, he never crossed my mind on the slightest.

Lloyd didn't even appear to have noticed my faltered expression. "I mean, I know Sasuke can be a jerk sometimes." I snort loudly. "But it seems that it's something more that's going on, but if you don't want to tell me than that's fine. I don't really care…"

I hesitate, trying to douse some of the irritation and anger. "No, that's alright. You'll be the first person I tell this to, so you better feel very grateful," I tell him with an amiable smile.

He smiles back. "So, what happened? And I'll give you my word as a ninja that my lips are sealed."

"Good." I laugh whole-heartedly. The whole thing of him telling someone else didn't really matter to me though, the word just flew out of my mouth. Hopefully this was going to be a very manageable thing for me to admit. I decide to start at the beginning, when I first came to the Academy.

I avert my gaze from his, and stare up at the night sky. "You remember my first day at the Academy? A year later after you guys?"

"How could I forget? That was the day Chouji got some major indigestion from eating those slices of corn beef for lunch! Haha!" Lloyd throws his head back in forceful laughter, nearly hitting his head twice on the tree trunk he was leaning against.

"Yeah, who could forget that?" I say amused, trying to hold back laughter of my own. By this point, Lloyd manages to control himself for me to continue on with my story.

_"Alright, class. That will be the end for today, you are all dismissed. See you guys tomorrow," Iruka sensei declares. He then sits down at his desk, and begins rummaging through a huge pile of papers stacked upon it._

_"Alright!" a boy with brown hair and a small white puppy atop his head yells happily, obviously in a cherry mood that the school day was over. I stray my eyes away from the boy and look at two girls who were walking up to me from the front of the room. The two of them were the same size, one with pink hair and the other a blondish-white. They were both really pretty to me._

_"Hello! My name is Ino Yamanaka, and this is Sakura Haruno," the blonde of the two pronounces perkily, gesturing towards the pink-haired girl standing beside her; very perky indeed._

_"Hi," I reply back, noticing that part of Sakura's body was crouched slightly behind Ino's. She was shy, I guessed._

_"So you're Kimina Fujimaru, huh? Nice to finally talk to you," a voice proclaims behind me. I turn a bit in my seat to see who it was. It was the boy with the brown hair, with the puppy now resting in his arms. "Name's Kiba Inuzuka." He smiles a big grin._

_Another boy then walks up beside him. He was the same height, with very short blonde hair, and brilliant green eyes. "Hi. I'm Lloyd Yukohama," he states a bit profoundly, his expression cocky. And it when on like this for a while; everyone introducing himself or herself. The boy with the short, black ponytail and the lazy demeanor was Shikamaru Nara. His short and stubby friend, apparantly; Chouji Akimichi._

_And the girl who I sat beside for class was Hinata Hyuuga. She always smiled so kindly when I looked at her, and I always smiled back. She was also very pretty to me, and I liked the way she didn't talk nearly as much or ask questions like the other girls. This could be the start of a beautiful friendship._

_"Hmm?" My eyes wander then to the front of the room, near the exit door. A boy was walking out, his hands shoved deeply into his pockets, his facial appearance unreadable. "Hey, Ino. Who was that? The boy who just walked out."_

_She seemed to be a bit reluctant and unwilling to answer. "That was Sasuke Uchiha." Her eyes, along with all the other girls, appeared to have sparkled at the name. "Ew. Their goes Naruto Uzumaki." The sparkle went away just as quickly as it had come._

_I stare at Ino. Her tone and attitude changed completely, happy and fantasizing to cold and uncaring. I look around her to catch a small glimpse of the boy who she was talking about. He wore an orange jumpsuit, his hair was a tangled mess of yellow, and his eyes were exactly like Lloyd's except they were a gleaming blue. But his features were very gloomy and discouraged. Why did he look so sad?_

_"You don't have to worry about him," a girl with red pigtails, whose name I forgot, explains._

_"He's a nobody." All of the girls, surprisingly besides Hinata, laugh in unison._

_"He's so weird, that Naruto!" Some of the boys, this time, even laugh along with the girls.  
><em>  
>"Wow. I forgot how cruel some of the girl's were... especially Ino," Lloyd says, a bit sarcastically to me.<p>

"Yeah." I sigh out heavily. I decide to skip to the part where I met him.

_"Hey... hey!" I shout loudly, waving my hand back and forth over my head, trying to get the attention of the Sasuke kid Ino had been doubtful to tell me about. "Hey, hey!" I shout again, running a little faster to catch up. He slows down to a halt, a few feet still ahead of me. He turns around towards me deliberately, his hands still shoved in his pockets. I stop a few inches from him._

_"Hi," I say breathlessly. He doesn't respond, only stares at me with annoyed eyes. "I'm Kimina Fujimaru," I tell him, finally catching my breath. "We didn't get a chance to talk at the Academy, and I..." I trail off, the uneasiness starting to rear its ugly head. The expression on his face scared me. But I force a smile to my lips, and hold out my hand for him to shake._

_He glances at it for a split second, before returning his irritated gaze to my face. Without a single word, he turns away with the same pestered look and takes a step forward._

_"Umm... hold on. Where are you going?" I ask, my voice hesitant and flustered._

_He answers with his back still turned. "Just leave me alone, got it?" His tone was very unfriendly; he meant what he had said. He walks away, not waiting for a response. Even if he wanted one, he wouldn't get it. I couldn't speak; I was stunned. What was that about? Why did he say that? I didn't even know him past his name. The astonishment was slowly beginning to turn into resentment. Why the hell was he so mean?_

_"And that's when I met Naruto," I tell Lloyd, going back into the story._

_"Hi, Kimina. Um, I'm Naruto Uzumaki," he shakily says, rubbing his forehead._

_"Hello, Naruto. I'm sorry again for running into you like that. I should've been watching where I was going," I apologize yet again._

_A small smile plays at his lips. "It's okay. I'm fine. It's just a little bump." At his words, his little bump enlarges almost to the size of his head. I place my hand over my mouth, trying to contain the laughter building up in my throat._

_"Wow. Sorry about that. But I have to be getting back home now. My mom wants me home early. And plus she's making ramen for dinner, so I... hmm?" I stop, looking at Naruto perplexed. "What...? Was it something I said?" His character had changed from shy and dispirited to cheery._

_"No. I just really like ramen," he admits, still smiling._

_An idea then forms in my head. I completely knocked this kid down; I had to make it up to him somehow. "Well, it's nothing like Ichiraku's ramen, but it's good! Hey, why don't you come over and have some. She always makes a lot and she wouldn't mind the extra company."_

_"Umm..." -his features turn saddened again- "I don't think I should."_

_I smile. "But I want you to. Come on!" I grab a hold of his hand, and ignore his doubtful remarks. ******_

_"Hi, mom! I'm home!" I close the door behind Naruto and I. "And I want you to meet someone. It's a friend I met at the Academy." Naruto's eyes brighten up at the word friend._

_"Oh, that's nice, Kimina," I hear her say from the front room. "Who is it?" Her voice sounded closer now. She emerges from the room, but stops short in the doorway. Her mouth was slightly agape, and she was staring at Naruto standing beside me._

_"Mom, this is Naruto Uzumaki and-"_

_"You get out of my house! Get out!" she yells, nearly running down the hallway to us. She scurries past us, and flings the front door back open, still looking at Naruto. "Get out!"_

_Naruto brushes silently past her, without a single word. I caught a glimpse of his face, and heartache pounded in my chest. My mom closes the door behind him. "Mom! Why did you do that?" I demand furiously._

_"I don't want him anywhere near this house again. And I don't want you to speak to that boy. Okay?" She raises her hand, when I was about to argue. "Just go to your room. Go." ******_

_Knock, knock._

_"I've brought up your dinner," my mom announces in her usually calm and caring voice. She opens the door and walks in, carrying a bowl of the ramen. She sets it down on the table bureau beside my bed._

_"Eat up, sweetie." She moves a piece of my hair from in front of my face and kisses my lightly on my forehead. I cringe away at her touch. "Oh, sweetheart." She gets up and walks out the room, without giving me an explanation for why she did what she did._

_I glance over at the food, too worried about him to eat. Too worried how he was. I didn't know Naruto well, but I couldn't help but still worry. I glance at the food again, another idea coming to mind. ******_

_"Naruto! Naruto!" I call out, holding the bowl of ramen tightly in my hands. "Naruto?" I spotted him. He was sitting by himself, on a bench near the park._

_"Hi, Naruto," I say, panting, sitting beside him._

_"Hmm? Kimina, what are you doing here?" he asks perplexed._

_"Here." I hand him the bowl of ramen." I said I was going to get you some ramen, didn't I?" He takes the bowl from my hands hesitantly._

_"You came looking for me to give me this? Wow, you carried this all the way from your house?" he says, his happy smile returning. I nod. The passersby were staring as if I was handing the bowl of ramen to an invisible person. He takes a chopstick full of noodles and slurps them down noisily. We sit in silence for a few minutes._

_"I'm really sorry for what happened earlier with my mom..." I apologize after awhile, breaking the silence._

_"No, it's alright. It's happens to me all the time. People wanting me to go away." He sets the  
>bowl down on his lap, his eyes on the ground. Why though?<em>

_"That's just... awful," I say, the heartache coming back._

_"I'm kind of used to it by now though," he states, barely above a whisper._

_"But why? Why do people treat you that way?" I ask, baffled._

_"I don't know." His tone was sincere and honest. How come people treated Naruto with so much dislike? Naruto was a very okay and normal person to me._

_"Well, honestly, I think that it's completely wrong. You are a very nice person to me," I admit, every word true._

_"Really?" he asks, his eyes brightening up again. "Thanks Kimina."_

_"Don't mention it. And hey, you should start finishing up that ramen. I need to get back home before my mom notices that I'm gone."_

"And after that, Naruto and I became good friends. I still spoke to him, obviously, even after my mom told me not to." I then notice that Lloyd was looking up at the sky, thinking about something. "Other people still treated him with the same animosity and dislike. And I hated it. I even stopped talking to my mom for awhile after that incident."

"You know, I kind of wondered why they treated Naruto that way. I never talked to him like that to find out." _'Besides the fact that he's a helpless klutz, who shouldn't be called a ninja.' _"But I don't think I get it." He frowns. "What, exactly, made you hate Sasuke?"

"Have you been listening?" I ask, my eyebrows raised, and my tone diverted. "I hated the way people treated Naruto... treat Naruto, and Sasuke, he…"

"I get it now. The things he says to him... yeah, Sasuke has a nice way of showing his feelings," he mockingly says the last part.

"And basically, I just hate his attitude. I mean, what could have possibly happened to him to make him that way? Nothing, that's what," I state, crossing my arms.  
>Lloyd nods his head. "But you know what? I wonder why do they treat Naruto that way?"<p>

"I know why. I was told a little after. It was when-"

_Rustle, rustle, rustle..._

Lloyd and I both jump up at the sound, a kunai knife already in his hand.

"Don't worry. It's just me," our sensei's voice reassures us. Lloyd puts his kunai back into its holster. Sure enough, Naria sensei steps out from behind a tree on our left; her features weary but alert.

"What are you two doing out here anyway?" she questions, not sounding angry but concerned.

"We couldn't sleep," Lloyd claims honestly, scratching the back of his head.

"Well, let's head on back to the inn. You two need to get some rest for tomorrow. You both  
>should be tired by now," she says with a little laugh.<p>

"We're sorry, Naria sensei," I apologize.

"It's alright. Truthfully, I can't sleep that well myself." That last statement sounded as though it was not directed to either Lloyd or me, but to herself. "Come on."

Wait a minute. Did I just imagine it? Or did Naria sensei's gaze linger for a split second past Lloyd and I, into the trees behind us? Oh boy. Something was telling me that a terrible thing was going to happen.


	14. Chapter 14

The sun rose higher in the sky, morning quickly turning into the afternoon.

"Not so far, she says! Oh my goodness!" Lloyd exclaims tiredly, crawling up the inclined path, his hands grasping the gravel dirt to pull him forward. "It feels like we've been walking for days!"

"Well, it could be worse. It could be... raining or snowing or something like that," I tell him, panting through my words, crawling up the steep hill beside him.

"Almost there." Lloyd pulls himself up the last few inches. "Phew," he sighs out in relief, collapsing atop of the inclination.

"Made it," I breathe out, collapsing also, my head leaning against Lloyd's arm.

Naria sensei walks past us, her eyes watching us with enlightenment. "All right now. Get up, you two."

Rakuyo then walks up behind Naria sensei, his hands in his pockets and his face diverted from Lloyd's and mine. At the sight of him, Lloyd jumps up immediately, with my head crashing to the ground. He crosses his arms stubbornly over his chest with a small humph, and looks away from me.

"Come on, Kimina. Get up. It wasn't really that difficult or tiring of a walk," he scowls.

I leap up at his statement. "What! You've got to be kidding me! Who was the one that was complaining the entire way? And besides" -I cross my arms too- "I wasn't even tired at all. I just didn't want you to feel bad climbing up that bluff all by yourself, is all."

"Yeah, right. Anyway... what! Where's the village?" Lloyd practically yells in disbelief. I take my eyes off him, and look around at our surroundings. The terrain looked exactly the same as it did the last few miles, with its same dirt road and endless yards of trees surrounding both sides.

"What are you talking about?" Naria sensei retorts, amused again. "We still have awhile to go."

"Oh boy," Lloyd and I both groan out in exhaustion.

Naria sensei smiles and points behind her. "All we have to do is cross this bridge, and we'll be there in no time."

I gaze around at the bridge Naria sensei had indicated, which was just up the path more. It was short in length and appeared to be very old. It swayed from side to side and creaked with every step we took as we walked across it. Before I knew it, we were all on the other side.

"See? That wasn't so bad, now was it?" Naria sensei asks, her arms held out in an openly gesture, her face beaming.

I glance back over the cliff's edge, down at the rushing river below. "Um...yeah." I gulp. Hopefully we could be able to find another safer route home.

Lloyd bursts out in laughter at my staggered tone. I roll my eyes, stepping beside Rakuyo.

"Let's keep going. We don't want to stand around here all day. We should be there…" Naria sensei stops short of her sentence, and turns towards the trees on our left, her expression unreadable. "Look out, Kimina!"

In seconds, Naria sensei moves in front of me, her hands holding my shoulders. In that same second, two shuriken fly out from somewhere in the bushes, both hitting her in her upper back. She flinches slightly, but composes her features immediately, turning around to where the weapons were thrown from.

"Naria sensei... your hurt..." I gasp, staring at the shuriken sliced deep within her back, the blood dripping carelessly downwards.

"Hah. That was very impressive of you to use yourself as a shield to protect your student," a manly voice utters from the shadows.

"Stay behind me, everyone!" Naria sensei orders firmly, taking a couple steps forward. "Show yourselves!"

At her demand, five men appear out of their hiding places. Two jumps down from the branches, and the three others walk out from the bushes.

"I knew it was only a matter of time before you guys showed yourselves. The Five Brothers of Treachery," Naria sensei affirms unfaltering.

_'Showed themselves?'_ I repeat Naria sensei's words in my head. What was going on?

The tallest of the men walks up casually to Naria sensei, a playing smile pulling at his lips. He bends his head down a bit to her level, his dark eyes piercing, his short red hair blowing lightly in the warm breeze. "How do you know of us?"

Naria sensei answers blatantly. "From stories. You five are well-known in the Village Hidden the Leaves."

The tall man laughs boisterously, the others snickering behind him. "Oh, but where are my manners" -he begins politely- "my name is Kion and I am the eldest and leader of the Five Brothers of Treachery." He then turns his back to us, and gestures to his brothers from left to right.

"This is Hachi." He was very gangly-looking, with chin lengthened black hair. "Botan" -the shortest of the five, with gold colored eyes and short grayish white hair- "Toshio" -average looking with shoulder lengthened tan hair- "and Yasu," Kion concludes conversationally.

I didn't want to admit this, but I couldn't help noticing. Yasu was the best looking of his four brothers. He was ivory-skinned, with high prominent cheekbones. His hair was the longest amongst the others, a very deep violet that reached down to his waist. His dark blue eyes found mine, and he winks playfully. I look away promptly, trying to not have my knees buckle in anxiety.

"We were just so curious as to why Leaf shinobi ninja would be doing so far out of their province," Yasu tells us impassively, his eyes never leaving my face.

Kion chuckles at his brother. "Now that I think about it though," he establishes seriously, turning back to Naria sensei, "you do look very familiar. Have we met before?"

"Not likely," she spats restlessly. I could sense that she was lying; the way her tone rose and then lightened in just those two words.

"Hmm. Okay then." Kion smiles pleasantly, then gestures to Botan and Hachi. Both of them take a couple steps forward, the two of them standing directly behind Kion. Rakuyo stiffens next to me. I glance at him, but I couldn't see his expression.

"Botan, Hachi, we will be taking this one. And I want the two of you to take care of these three Leaf village genin. That shouldn't be a problem," he states steadfastly.

"Of course, Kion," the one who winked at me, Yasu, confirms without hesitation.

"And I'll try not to prolong their suffering. _Try_," Toshio asserts with a smirk.

"Hah! Good. Now why don't you be a good little jounin and come with us." Kion reaches towards Naria sensei, his features vicious.

Naria sensei smacks his hand away. "What makes you think I'm going anywhere? Don't underestimate me."

"And don't underestimate me. And I didn't think I asked you," he retorts scornfully. It happened within seconds; Kion leaps forward and secures Naria sensei in an iron grasp.

"No," Naria sensei shouts, reaching a hand back to us, her expression completely overwhelmed. And then they were gone. Botan, Hachi, Kion and Naria sensei all disappeared into thin air.

"Naria sensei!" I yell hoarsely, my legs starting to fail me. I gasp out in shock, feeling a sharp pain to my chest. Before I knew what had happened, I was flown backwards into a tree.

"Kimina!" Rakuyo shouts my name. I gasp out again, this time in pain. I tried to open my eyes, but my vision was blurred, from the agony that was radiating through my body and from the tears that were starting to form. I force my eyes open a second time, and Yasu's form solidifies in front of me.

"Oh... I hate to have to hurt such a pretty face," he mockingly states, tightening his hold around my neck.

I close my eyes and cry out in anguish. I couldn't do anything; I was too weak. I was weak.

"Kimina! Ah!" Lloyd's fatal scream echoes through the area.

There was nothing I could do; I was going to die. That thought was certain, as the tears pooled down my face. My head was throbbing unbearably, and I could hear the blood pounding at an alarming rate behind my ears. I was going to die here.

"Kimina!" was the last thing I heard, Lloyd's cry out for me, before the darkness engulfed my consciousness.


	15. Chapter 15

"Kimina... Kimina..."

"Ugh... uh... ugh. Huh?" I felt a cool hand take mine, and another hand on my shoulder.

"Kimina…!" That voice. It sounded so familiar to me. But yet it didn't. The voice sounded exasperated, short of breath. Was it an angel calling me to him? No. The voice sounded too familiar and too disturbed to be a harmonious vocal of an angel. I was still alive. But how?

"Kimina! Kimina...!"

"Lloyd..." My throat was so dry; I could barely speak his name. A sound of relief escapes his lips.

"Who else... would it be?" I could hear him chuckling, but it sounded wrong.

"I'm... I'm not dead?" I ask incredulously.

"Of course your not. Now, here... let me help you up." He wraps his arm around the upper part of my back. He grunts lowly as he stands, pulling me up with him.

"Oh my God..." I gasp out, placing my free hand over my forehead. I was so dizzy; it felt that I would collapse again at any moment.

"I got you," Lloyd tells me surely, tightening his hold around me. And that's when I felt it; something warm on my right arm; something warm and wet.

I look down to see what it was, my vision much more clearer than seconds before. "Lloyd! You're... you're hurt! Your arm...!" His left arm had a big gash near his shoulder-line, blood pouring from it heavily.

"I'm fine, Kimina. I had to get that guy off of you somehow, right?" he says, smirking.

"Lloyd... no. You shouldn't have done anything. That... that wound is so deep..." I stammer. The wound looked too ghastly to look at.

"I said I'm fine, Kimina. He just sliced me a little with a kunai knife; the kunai that I was going to pierce him with. He was... so fast. He let go of his hold on you, and took the knife from my hand and sliced me before retuning to his brother's side..." he explains a bit sharply. "Anyway, looks like you were right about Naria sensei. She was hiding something from us. Our own sensei..."

"There has to be an explanation for what she did," I tell Lloyd, more to myself though. I desperately wanted to believe that.

"Yeah... if we make it out of here alive, we'll be sure to ask her." His tone was very annoyed and sarcastic. _'That is... if our sensei is still alive herself...'_

"So, what are we going to do?" I question hopelessly. I then spot the two brothers standing a bit away from us, smiling calmly and carelessly. I grip onto Lloyd tighter for support.

Rakuyo walks up to us just then, his expression serious. He looks at me. "You okay?" I nod my head.

"These guys" -Rakuyo begins- "they are really strong..."

"Oh, so now you want to talk? For your information, we already know that they're strong! Tell us something we don't know!" Lloyd interrupts Rakuyo shrewdly.

"Lloyd...!" I yell, stunned.

"Will everyone just shut-up and let me think!" he shouts, very irritated. I pull away from him, completely taken aback by his outburst. He ignores my sudden retreat from him.

Rakuyo says nothing, only eyes Lloyd specuatively.

"Look at them bickering," Toshio proclaims with a snicker. "It's really sad."

"Breaks my heart," Yasu retorts sarcastically.

"Lloyd..." I mutter softly, knowing he couldn't hear me. What was going on with him? Was he cracking under the pressure? No, not Lloyd…

Lloyd's P.O.V

_'Rakuyo's right. These guys are very strong. How are we ever going to... damn!'_ I ponder over and over in my mind. ~~~ 

_"You never want to show fear to your opponent, never. No matter their strength. That is the way of the Yukohama. Attack your enemy head on!" My father goes on and on, balling his fist up with each ending sentence._

_I watch with curious and excited eyes, my legs dangling from the chair I was sitting on. ****_

_"This is your first mission outside the village. Remember everything I have taught you, and do not disappoint me." My father stares down at me, his eyes serious._

End of Lloyd's P.O.V

"Listen you guys, just stay here..." Lloyd orders clearly.

"Why?" I ask, dumbfounded. "Don't tell me... your going to try to fight them two on your own?" His silence proved me right.

"Lloyd, whatever you're thinking about doing..." Rakuyo trails off. "Remember what Naria sensei told you, told us about teamwork." I close my eyes at the word. Rakuyo notices.

"All right, Rakuyo. What do you plan we do then?" Lloyd asks. Sarcastic again.

"Humph. So, I guess he's just gonna' have his little teammates make all the decisions for him... like a good little Leaf genin, right?" Yasu says to his brother amusingly.

"Shut-up!" Lloyd spits back.

"Oh... a very short-tempered one too," Toshio exclaims, sneering.

"I'll show you short- tempered!" As Toshio had wanted, Lloyd darts out to the two brothers, blood dripping on the ground behind him.

"Lloyd!" Rakuyo yells after him, his expression astonished. "What does he think he's doing? Come on, Kimina."

I didn't move. I couldn't move. I was frozen where I stood, my feet interlocked with the ground beneath me.

"Kimina," Rakuyo calls my name again, worry in his voice. "Kimina, what's wrong with you?" 

I shake my head back and forth, unable to speak.

"Kimina!" he calls my name again, this time much louder.

"Aahh!" Lloyd's fatal cry echoes through the trees once more. He flies backwards and lands on the ground, near Rakuyo's feet. He screams out in pain, gripping his wounded arm.

"Lloyd... you alright?" Rakuyo asks tentatively, kneeling down beside him.

"Ugh... I'm fine," Lloyd answers back, trying to get up.

"Here," Rakuyo helps him to stand.

"Humph. Thanks..." Lloyd acknowledges in a quick whisper.

"Hah! What a worthless effort that was!" Toshio's laughter rings though the area.

"And look at this one. Ms. Beautiful is scared stiff," Yasu proclaims, with a laugh of his own. I could feel Lloyd's and Rakuyo's gazes upon me, but just like Yasu had just said, I was too scared stiff to return their wondering stares.

"What's wrong, precious? Why so scared? I promise you, I'll make your death quick and painless," Yasu declares, his smile unruly. He stretches out his right arm, and something the color of brown gradually comes out of his wrist. He takes a hold of it and pulls it out with one tug. It was a sword. A long metal sword with a brown handle; that he pulled out of his wrist.

"Looks like she cares more for her life than she does her teammates." Toshio chuckles dryly.

"No, I do not!" My voice was not a powerful as I wanted it to be. A figure than stands in front of me, blocking my view from the brothers, his hands clutching my shoulders gently.

"Kimina, what's up with you?" he asks, bewildered.

"I'm... all right," I retort, barely above a whisper. From the corner of my eye, only barely, I see Yasu take a couple steps forward, the sword grasped in his hand. My body stiffens automatically, and my breathing comes up short.

Lloyd's P.O.V  
><span>  
><em>'What's wrong with you, Kimina? What... what happened to all that confidence you had?' <em>I ponder completely baffled. I grip her shoulders a bit tighter, staring into her fear-stricken eyes.

_'Kimina...'_  
><span><br>End of Lloyd's P.O.V  
><span>  
>"I... can't..." I barely manage to say.<p>

"What? You can't what? Fight?" Lloyd asks me, his eyebrows rose. "Kimina, what happened to you?" I finally look into his eyes, tears forming in my own.

"I can't do this. I don't know why. My body just won't move. It won't react," I tell him, forcing myself to not let the tears fall.

"Lloyd, Kimina, look out!" Rakuyo screams to us.

"What?" Lloyd gasps, only now sensing a presence behind him. His body appears behind Lloyd in a blink of an eye. I try to scream, but nothing would come out. My throat was so dry.

"Hah. Now you die!" Yasu raises his sword in the air, ready to slice both Lloyd's and my body in half. Lloyd grips his hold tighter on my shoulders, and pushes me back away from him.

I fall to the ground from the force of his shove, simultaneously as Yasu slices through Lloyd's body in one swift movement. "Lloyd!"


	16. Chapter 16

"Lloyd!" The scream that came out of my mouth hurt my dry throat. Tears filled my eyes as his body was sliced in half before me.

Two halves of a log falls to the ground in place of his body.

"A substitution...?" Rakuyo, Yasu, and even me say aloud in unison.

"Huh?" Yasu jumps back to his brother, avoiding the three shuriken that was thrown in his path. Yasu then catches the kunai knife, this time that was hurled towards his neck, and twirls it around his index finger; impressed. "You know, that was a very nice trick... especially one coming from a little genin punk like yourself." He gazes up into the trees, above Rakuyo and I.

I look behind me, to where Yasu's eyes were held, and see Lloyd standing on top of the highest branch of a tree, smiling proudly of course.

"Hehe." He jumps down and lands between Rakuyo and I, his arms crossed.

"You know... that was pretty nice," Rakuyo repeats Yasu's words.

"Don't... please, don't agree with him. It was nothing. So... did you come up with a plan yet?" Lloyd asks, hopeful.

"So, now you're finally realizing that that is our best option?" Lloyd scowls at him. "No, not yet." Lloyd scowls again; that was something he didn't want to hear.

"Lloyd..." I stand to my feet. He looks back at me. "Are you okay?" I look to his wound.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I already told you that," he retorts, placing his hand over it absently. "And look, Kimina. I know you're scared. But you have to help us, whatever fear you have you need to let go of it and help us work as a team. Just remember this is also both of our first time fighting in a real battle as well. We're doing the best we can… even when sometimes it's just plain adrenaline and reflex." He chuckles. "We need you though, and I promise I won't let anything happen to you," Lloyd says surely, letting his hand fall from his wound. I smile at him, my breathing somewhat more under control.

"I've… never heard you talk that way, Lloyd," I say, completely liking his new attitude.

"Yeah, well, don't get used to it, alright? It's a once in a lifetime opportunity to witness." He smiles a big goofy grin. Lloyd was right though; I needed to help them fight these two bastards. It was all of our first time battling, and I couldn't let them down. They were going to risk their life for me, and I was going to do the same. It was just that death wasn't sounding so good to me. When does it ever though?

"Look, Rakuyo, since you can't come up with a plan, there is only one thing we can do," Lloyd turns to our other teammate, while also keeping an eye on the two brothers in front of us.

"Run," Rakuyo answers him. "Yeah, but, I already overlooked that option. If we do run, they'll be able to catch us in an instant and kill us quicker."

"Yeah, your right." Lloyd sighs. "Alright, guys. Guess there's only one other thing we can do. One of us will have to stay here as a diversion, while the other two make their escape. Looks like you two better start going."

"No, Lloyd. We're not going anywhere," I tell him simply. I couldn't believe that he would just sacrifice his life like that. Of course, he would be killed if he did stay behind while we fled. And I was not going to let him be put into that position.

Rakuyo nods his head. "Kimina's right, Lloyd. We're not going anywhere, because I have a plan."

Lloyd looks at me for a long time, before turning around to Rakuyo. "Great. What is it?"

"Lloyd, your going to have to use your Fog Concealment jutsu," Rakuyo tells him, averting his eyes.

"Alright. Hey, wait a minute. I never showed you that jutsu. I haven't shown anyone that justu, besides Kimina that time..." Lloyd trails off. "You were watching us, weren't you?" Rakuyo doesn't answer.

"Humph. Whatever. All right, and then what? After that?" Lloyd Rakuyo questions; hoping that the two brothers couldn't hear them asks bitterly.

"Are you able to see through the dense fog?"

"Of course I can. Only the Yukohama's have the ability to see through it. It's almost like the Hidden Mist jutsu," Lloyd explains with a nod of his head.

"Then I guess we won't be any help to you," -Rakuyo begins- "so here's what I'm going to do… and then you will use your shadow clones and..."

"Hmm? Wonder what they are talking about now, Yasu," Toshio asks his brother, his voice monotone.

"Hmph. I don't know." Yasu sighs. "I am getting bored with this. I think I'm going to finish it." 

Toshio holds out his hand to his brother. "Let me do it. Huh? What is that boy doing?" He was referring to Rakuyo, who was jumping back and forth between them and us, each time getting closer and closer.

Toshio and Yasu exchange puzzled glances.

_'Come on, Lloyd,'_ Rakuyo thinks hurriedly.

Making sure that the two brothers' attention was still on Rakuyo, Lloyd makes a quick hand sign. "Fog Concealment jutsu. All right, Rakuyo! Get back to Kimina!"

"Right!" Rakuyo falls back to my side. Lloyd's summoned fog then begins to appear around the area.

"What the hell? What is this?" Toshio exclaims, his viewpoint becoming less perceivable by the second. "Is this the Hidden Mist jutsu?"

"No, pal. This is my own special jutsu. Fog Concealment Jutsu," Lloyd boasts arrogantly.

"Shadow clone jutsu," I say under my breath.

"I can't see a thing," Toshio proclaims, discouraged.

"Just stay calm, brother," Yasu tells him strictly._ 'This kid. What power he possesses. Who would have ever thought...?'_

_Crack... crack..._

"Huh?" Toshio looks down at the ground, as two hands wrap around his ankles from underneath his feet. "Hey, let go of me you little... what? Another one?"

"Brother... the girl is using shadow clone's. I can feel it. Be on your toes!" But Yasu was too late in warning his brother.

"Fire style: Fireball jutsu!" I utter loudly. I blow out fire from my mouth at Toshio, who couldn't escape quickly enough, given that his ankles were being held down by one of my shadow clones.

"Ah!" Toshio is thrown back by the force of the fire jutsu, and slams hard into a tree far behind him.

"Toshio!" Yasu yells, hearing his brother's scream. "Damn it! All right! I've had just about enough of this. Hi-ya!" Yasu slams his sword into the ground, a wind vortex appearing around it and him.

"What's going on?" I ask myself, looking in the direction of the power I felt. The wind surrounding Yasu swallows up the fog in split seconds, and then strikes out at me, sending me flying back to Rakuyo and Lloyd. Rakuyo helps me up, while in the confusion Lloyd jumps into the trees behind us.

"Hah! Not bad of a plan that was, I must say." Yasu chuckles darkly. "But you all will pay for knocking my brother unconscious."

"Oh, yeah? We'll see about that!" Lloyd jumps down on Yasu's right, his arm held back for a punch. But before he could land one, Yasu quickly strikes Lloyd in the neck. Lloyd flies backwards and lands on the ground hard, near the cliff's edge.

"Lloyd!" I shout, nervousness evident on my voice.

"Hah!" Yasu walks over to Lloyd's body and picks him up roughly by his collar. Lloyd looked to be unconscious; his body limp in Yasu's grasp.

"Lloyd!" I scream out again. Rakuyo and I run over to the both of them, keeping some distance so that Yasu didn't do anything rash.

"Humph. I could kill you now, no problem. But that would be too tedium in my opinion. So, how about we make this a little more interesting." Yasu smirks deviously, tightening his hold on Lloyd.

_'What is he planning on doing?'_ I ponder in fear, my heart accelerating in my chest.

"You, precious" -his features become malevolent- "you are to take the life of your worthless teammate," -gestures to Rakuyo- "or this one here I have dies."


	17. Chapter 17

Everything around me seemed to have stopped. "What?" Did I hear him right? I couldn't have heard him right_. Kill your teammate or this one here dies._ I feel three pairs of eyes on me, Lloyd finally coming to, and the sickening sensation in my stomach intensifies.

"So what's it going to be, precious?" he asks with a laugh. He was actually enjoying this sick game. He takes the sword in his left hand and holds it horizontally to Lloyd's neck, without his right hand ever loosening his grip across his chest. "And you might want to make it quick."

My heart hammers away in my chest. I couldn't believe this was happening. What was I going to do? Was I going to let this twisted man kill my friend, or was I going to kill my teammate? The thought of all of this was making me hurl.

"Come on, precious. I don't have all day," Yasu states impatiently. He holds the sword closer to Lloyd's neck and a small line of blood trails down his throat. Lloyd's eyes close in pain.

Seconds pass by, but it felt like an eternity. I quickly glance to Rakuyo, who was staring at Yasu, his expression I couldn't decipher. I look away from him, as tears build up in my eyes. Because one thing I knew was certain. One of my teammates was going to die, whether it was by my hands or his.

"Please... please... don't do this," I beg, gazing back and forth between Lloyd and Yasu. 

"Please... I'll do anything else but this... you can do anything you want with me. Just... don't make me choose between them... please..."

"Hmm." Yasu's eyes travel up my body. I shudder involuntary. Lloyd makes a growling noise, his features furious. "Don't get me wrong now. That's very tempting, precious. Very tempting. But I think I like this better!"

"No!" I yell, falling to my knees, more tears falling down my face. Yasu stops and looks down at me, a smirk pulling at his lips. More blood travels down Lloyd's throat, where Yasu had sliced more of the sword into his neck.

"You know what you have to do to save him," Yasu tells me, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Yeah, I knew what I had to do. But could I? Could I really take Rakuyo's life just to save Lloyd's? The answer was no. I couldn't; absolutely not. But I also didn't want to see Lloyd being killed right in front of me. I didn't want to see his life end this way. In the middle of all my thinking, a kunai knife is thrown in front of me. I look up at Rakuyo, who had thrown it. And for almost the third time since we had become teammates, I saw that same sad and distant look on his face and in his eyes.

"What... what is this for, Rakuyo?" I ask, even though I already knew the answer. My heart wrenches in pain.

"You already know what that's for, Kimina." His voice sounded so far away.

"What? You can't be serious, Rakuyo. Do you honestly think that I am going to...?"

"No. But you should reconsider. I know that you and Lloyd are good friends. And you both have many friends back at home as well. You both have family that cares for you. You have them to return to in the village. And what do I have? Nothing much. I wouldn't be missed much if I were to die here. It wouldn't be fair for Lloyd to lose his life, when he has so much to look forward to back home..." Rakuyo confesses meekly.

"Rakuyo, stop. Stop talking like that. I can't do this. You are my friend too and you will be missed," I say honestly. He smiles faintly at me, but his eyes still held the same sad look. "I can't. I can't do this..."

"Ugh... and you're not going to." Rakuyo and I both look up at Lloyd who had spoken. 

"Kimina's right, Rakuyo. You have people who care about you... even if you just don't know it yet..."

"Lloyd..." I mutter softly. I guess his nicer side of him wasn't just a once in a lifetime opportunity. A pity though that we were in this setting, with all of us so close to death.

Rakuyo falters back a bit. He never expected Lloyd to say anything like that to him, and honestly I didn't either. But he was right though. And at that, I pick up the kunai and toss it back to Rakuyo, who catches it with one hand. Lloyd smiles tentatively.

And as if he has read my mind, Yasu utters, "So, I see you made your decision. All right then. Let's get this over with." Lloyd closes his eyes, preparing for the pain that was about to come. And it occurred to me then, even though he didn't like Rakuyo that much, Lloyd wasn't going to let me kill him. That's why he said what he said; Lloyd was planning on dying from the moment Yasu had him trapped.

His fate was sealed the moment Yasu had stated the proclamation. Yasu even knew it himself.

"Please wait! Please, don't do this!" But my words didn't mean anything at this point. What was going to happen next was inevitable. And I literally couldn't breathe anymore; it was like my lungs were refusing to allow oxygen into them. *****

It happened so quickly; I didn't have a chance to stop it. Yasu takes his sword and drives it deeply into Lloyd's chest, piercing his heart. Screams echo everywhere, both from his mouth and mine.

"Lloyd!" I wanted so badly to run to his side, to pry him from Yasu's arms and just hold him in my own, but I couldn't make myself move. Lloyd finds my gaze, his face going pale. He coughs, blood spurting from his mouth. And in a matter of moments, his body goes totally limp in Yasu's hold.

"Humph. It would have been more fun if he had fought back. Oh well," Yasu takes his sword and drives it from Lloyd's corpse. He then looks back over his shoulder, down at the river far below.

Oh, no. "No!" I yell hoarsely. But it was too late. Yasu had flung Lloyd's body over the edge of the cliff. I grip the soil underneath me, getting a handful of dirt in my hands. I still couldn't breathe; it was like the very air around me was gone now. Gone… just like Lloyd. Beside me, Rakuyo's mouth hung open in disbelief.

"Now then. Time for you to say goodbye, precious." Yasu inches closer to me. My eyes widen. "Hmm? Why so surprised? I never did say what I was going to do to you, precious. I was thinking about letting you live but I decided against it."

"No!" Rakuyo flings his kunai at Yasu in an attempt to stop him. But Yasu merely deflects it with his sword. Yasu then points his sword in Rakuyo's direction. The wind suddenly picks up in the area, and Rakuyo is hit with a big gust that had built up around the sword, and flies backwards into the trees.

"Rakuyo!" I yell to him, standing up. That same insinuated laugh escapes Yasu's lips. I look from where Rakuyo had disappeared to Yasu, my hands clenching in anger, sadness, and heartache. There were so many emotions running through my mind I couldn't think straight. But there was one thought in my mind that was perfectly clear; I wanted this man before me dead.

With narrowed eyes, and all fear gone from my conscious, I close the distance between us. My body though was still shaking all over. Even though I tried for it not to be, my balance was so uncoordinated, and Yasu dodges my punch without much effort at all. He then takes a hold of my wrist with his left hand and cups my face with his right, and looks into my eyes.

He laughs carelessly. "I do hate to have to kill you too, precious. Such a beautiful face." He leans in and kisses me on my forehead softly, and that's when I felt the agonizing pain course through my body. His sword penetrated my stomach. My mouth hangs open, my eyes wide with pain. I feel his lips leave my head, and his hand around my wrist falls to his side, and even if it only lasted a couple seconds, it was the worst pain I had ever felt in my life. His fist then connects with my chin in an uppercut, and I feel the pain before I hear the shattering of the bone, and everything went black.

Rakuyo's P.O.V

I leap out from the bushes, just in time to see Yasu toss Kimina's body to his left, where she slams into a tree, splitting open the trunk. I couldn't even process what had just happened, because I had to fight Yasu off of me just then. He must have felt my presence the moment I had jumped out. He runs towards me with his sword, and I dodge his attempt to slash at me. I drop to the ground and kick the sword out of his hand, which flew into the air far behind him. His reactions were slowing down, he was getting tired and his chakra was almost drained, but I couldn't linger over the thought right now. So, as he went to retrieve his sword, I ran over to Kimina, hoping that she was still alive.

I kneel down beside her, automatically checking her pulse at her wrist then at her neck. My heart nearly stops. Not wanting it to be true, I check it a second time, even though I knew the outcome would be the same.

Nothing. No pulse. No heartbeat. Kimina... she couldn't be...

"Humph. Don't try thinking you can save her. She's as good as dead now. Just like your other teammate. And in a moment, you'll be joining them." I turn towards the voice; it wasn't whom I had expected. It was Yasu's brother, Toshio. He finally regained consciousness. Yasu stood diagonally behind him, his sword clenched in his hands. Both of them stared down on me with malicious eyes, because they knew that there was going to be no way out of this for me. And they also knew that I couldn't hope to possibly win fighting the two of them alone. And the worst part of it was, they were right...


	18. Chapter 18

The blood in my throat spurts out of my mouth, and rushes carelessly down my chin and onto the cold ground. I hear a scream to the left of me, but I was too beaten and exhausted to look at him.

_I had done it_, I tell myself surely in my head. It had actually worked. In one of my last attempts, I had managed to kill one of the Brothers of Treachery. *******

"Hah! I think we wearied out this slow painful death sentence long enough. Don't you think, brother?" Toshio asks Yasu, sneering.

"Yes, I agree. It was fun while it lasted, but I think it's time to put him out of his misery." Yasu laughs maniacally, stepping closer to my knelled body.  
><em><br>This was it_, I thought woefully. Death was approaching me, and I couldn't do anything to hinder it. I had tried everything to stop the two brothers; close combat, diversions, and traps. All the strategies I could think of, but none prevailed.

Now, I was on my knees in unbearable pain, and a part of me almost welcomed for my life to be taken. But somewhere in the back of my mind, in the last same part of my consciousness, something told me not to. Not to welcome death. Not yet, anyway. I still had to try something; I couldn't give up like this, like a dog bowing to its masters. I laughed mentally at that; it was somehow funny to me.

In between all my needless endeavors to impede the two brothers; I kept glancing at Kimina, at her lifeless form. Her words she said to me before Lloyd was killed still rang in my head, and I fought for her. And I fought for Lloyd as well. I laughed internally because in just a few moments, I had changed somewhat. I didn't want to just run or give up and let them obliterate me; I had fought for them both, in trying to appease their deaths.

I lay my head down on the ground sideways, with my right ear pointing downwards, the notions still whirring in my mind. Hmm? I notice something for away from me, at the cliff's edge. There was a sharp angular bump in the ground; in front of a lone tree. I stared at it for a long while, before it clicked in my head of what it was. How come I didn't notice it before?

Another strategy forms in my head, and I hoped desperately that this one would work. I lift my head and face the two men in front of me, and push myself up fully on my knees, gritting my teeth from the sharp shooting pain traveling up and down my body.

"Oh, come on now, boy. Haven't you figured out by now that everything you do is useless against us? You're practically close to death, why not just give up and succumb to the inevitable?" Toshio asks with a shrug of his shoulders, eyeing the three kunai knives I had now in my hand.

I narrow my eyes and throw the first one at them. Both of the brothers dodge it effortlessly; Yasu jumping to the cluster of trees and Toshio jumping towards the cliff's edge. I almost smile. I throw the last two kunai knives at Toshio, making him jump back even closer to the cliff's edge, which was right where I wanted him.

Toshio chuckles. "Trying to make me fall over the cliff, eh? I have to say this is the most embarrassing tactic you have come up with yet. To believe you thought it could actually work." He laughs now, raucously. I wanted to say something in reply, but blood clogged up my throat and I couldn't speak. I shake off the thought and do a few hand signs. Toshio stops and stares at me, and I could feel Yasu's eyes on me as well.

I place the palms of my hands on the ground; my pointing finger and thumb touching together in an almost diamond shape. The ground in the area immediately begins to shake violently.

"What's going on?" Toshio proclaims, losing his balance and falling to the ground. I hear a thud to the right of me; Yasu had also fallen too. I didn't pay attention to them though; my eyes were locked on the raised part of the earth near Toshio's feet. In split seconds, the root shoots out of the ground. It tore up the earth as it ravaged upward along the length of the cliff. Rocks exploded into the air, and avalanched into the river far below.

"Toshio!" Yasu yelled to his brother.

After a few minutes, I open my eyes as the dust finally settled down. The first thing I saw was the tree, which was lying on its side with the long unending root still attached to its undergrowth. In front and around it were endless numbers of small pebbles and rocks, proof of the tree's destruction. I was in awe.

"Toshio!" Yasu yells again for his brother.

I had been so sidetracked by the amount of devastation that I had almost failed to notice. Toshio was nowhere to be seen; I couldn't feel a trace of him anywhere in the vicinity. Had it worked? Did I really do it?

"You bastard! What have you done?" Yasu babbles on and on, his mouth agape, and his eyes wide with astonishment. He takes a couple steps forward as the last of the crumpling rock falls down over the edge.

The blood in my throat spurts out of my mouth and rushes carelessly down my chin and onto the cold ground. I hear a scream to the left of me, but I was too beaten and exhausted to look at him. ******

I couldn't believe it. I was so overcome with so much delight, that I would've jumped for joy if I could. A shadow them looms over my figure, and a hand grabs me roughly by the collar of my shirt.

"You bastard!" Yasu shouts angrily, yanking me off the ground. I yell out in pain. Both my legs burned in utter anguish and they hung in the air in sickening angles.

My right eye gazes into the man's face (my left eye was swollen shut), and I shudder involuntarily. Yasu's features were malevolent, almost demonic in a way that it was repulsive to look at. In his left hand he held his sword back away from me; ready to either plunge it into my heart or stomach. This was it; the thought came back to me. But this time there were no reassurances in my head like the last time. I stare down at the sword, ready for my life to be over. I wasn't going to fight back now; I couldn't even if I wanted to, my chakra was completely drained. At least I had managed to kill one of the brothers; that was a victory in itself. I guess I could say that. Yasu was hurt also, maybe not physically but emotionally he was.

I smile and close my eyes. Yasu clutches the blade tighter in his hand and I tense for it to rip into me. But something happened just then that stopped him, but I didn't open want to my eyes. And that's when I felt it. I felt a growing power somewhere nearby, but it felt unnatural. It felt like a familiar chakra, but the aura around it was so potent, so unfamiliar.

"What is that?" Yasu questions. His voice was off. He sounded as though he was in awe, but he also sounded confused.

Flashes of green light then dances across my closed eyelids.

Yasu clenches my shirt tighter, suffocating me even more. He then gasps. "It can't be…"

_Do I dare open my eyes_, I ask myself. I do, and I didn't believe what I saw.

"No, it can't be. You were dead," Yasu exclaims, utterly bewildered, and I agreed with him.

My mouth hung open with disbelief.

Because standing before us, alive and breathing, was Kimina…

End of Rakuyo's P.O.V


End file.
